


one sole will survive

by starryharry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, No Smut, Survivor AU, also you can thank rachel for the shiall, just indulging myself in my love for survivor and my boys, louis and harry are both saps but also idiots, they're very cute and also very DUMB, this is literally just them being in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 70,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryharry/pseuds/starryharry
Summary: Louis would like to believe that nobody witnessed that moment; that it was just for him and Harry. But Louis also knows better. Harry is playing a role that Louis forced him into.And in a few months, it will be broadcasted to millions of people on their televisions.Or : the one where Harry and Louis fake a relationship so Louis can get another shot at winning his favourite reality competition, Survivor.
Relationships: Camila Cabello/Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift, Niall Horan/Julia Michaels, Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes, Perrie Edwards/Jade Thirlwall, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 76
Kudos: 236





	1. before

**Author's Note:**

> wow thank you very much for coming to read this !!! hope you enjoy. please let me know if you do. also, let me know if you don't. i promise i don't mind. there's a lot of strategy and stuff involved but hopefully the relationship kind of keeps you drawn in.
> 
> just wanna say a quick but big thank you to rachel for reading every chapter with enthusiasm and being excited for more even if sometimes it took a while and also helping with ideas when needed. also thank you to cade for reading the whole thing when it was done and being literally the nicest about it AND making a beautiful moodboard for it !!!!
> 
> you can follow me on tumblr [here](https://lt2soon.tumblr.com/) and you can reblog the fic post [here](https://lt2soon.tumblr.com/post/622468087960223744/one-sole-will-survive-louis-immediately-goes-into) !! <3

4 WEEKS BEFORE SHOOTING

Louis walks into the door of his apartment, kicks off his shoes, and shuts the door loud enough to let Harry know he’s home. He can smell dinner, and he has never been so thankful for Harry’s cooking skills. After a long day of work, he can feel his stomach rumbling, aching for food. 

“Harry!” He calls out, hoping to be heard over Harry’s music. “Sorry I’m a little late.” 

“It’s okay, I’m just in the kitchen.” 

Something clatters to the floor, followed by Harry’s mumbling voice, “Damn it! Sorry. Ugh.”

Louis laughs as he rounds the corner and jumps up to sit on the same counter Harry always yells at him for sitting on. He watches Harry stand up from where he was bent over to pick up the pan he dropped, mouth twisted into a frown. 

“It’s alright, Harry. Don’t get all worked up, now.” Louis teases, raising his eyebrows at the boy staring back at him, hoping to see the expression on his face change.

Harry smiles sheepishly. “I made fried rice tonight,” And then before Louis can say anything, he adds, “I already know what you’re going to say. You say the same thing every week. But rice is a staple now, and it’s a weekly tradition whether you like it or not.”

Louis laughs. He might consistently object to it, but he could never actually be angry with Harry for doing it. “I honestly didn’t even realize we were already in the middle of this week.”

“How could you forget?” 

_He seems slightly offended_. 

“You know this is all I look forward to.” 

_Maybe a little more offended than just slightly_. 

“Awe, babe.” Louis pushes his shoulder jokingly. “I’m sorry. Tell you what, let’s eat dinner and talk about your day, then we can sit down and watch and I promise to be just as thrilled as you are.” 

Harry smiles big enough that Louis can see a dimple making an appearance. “Fine.”

Louis will never admit it to Harry, but Wednesday nights are his favourite night of the week. He always acts like he forgets, or like he hates watching himself on TV, but he secretly loves how excited his best friend gets. When they first met in high school, they bonded over their love of the reality competition _Survivor_. Then, when Louis was old enough to apply, Harry helped him make an audition tape every year following. Louis always offered to do the same, but Harry simply insisted he would rather watch his best friend get the opportunity of his dreams. Eventually, the producers must have finally thought he was old enough and had a personality that would be a good fit for their Rebels versus Rogues season, because he found himself casted after five years of applying. 

After using the washroom and getting changed into more comfortable lounge apparel, Louis returns to the kitchen and sits at the dining table, where Harry has already plated him some rice. He looks at Harry sitting across from him, and then down at his plate. When he looks back up at Harry again, his eyes are also trained on Louis’ plate.

“Harry, did you…” Louis’ voice trails off, trying to think of the best way to ask. “Did you pick the red pepper out of mine?”

“What?” Harry finally looks up, catching Louis’ eye. “No,” he laughs. “I just used two separate pans.” He explains casually, as if what he actually did was any less thoughtful than picking out the ingredient Louis doesn’t like.

Louis smiles up at him. “Thank you.” He picks up his fork and takes a bite. “It’s really good.”

“You’re welcome.” Harry takes a bite of his own rice. “And it is, isn’t it?”

Over dinner, Harry tells Louis about his new project at his photography internship, and Louis tells Harry about the rambunctious group of teenagers that came in for dinner and annoyed all the other patrons in the restaurant, but left him the best tip of the day. Louis washes up when they’re done, and tells Harry to go get set up in the living room. He throws a bag of popcorn in the microwave, then reaches into the fridge to grab a couple of beers. When the popcorn is done, he carefully pinches the bag and lets the steam out before dumping it into a bowl for them to share. 

“Lou! Hurry up! It’s about to start!” Harry calls from the couch, and Louis can practically hear his smile. 

“Alright, babe, relax. I’m coming.” Louis calls back as he cautiously picks up the popcorn bowl with one hand, and uses the other to hold both beer bottles by the necks between his fingers. He carries everything over to the living room, only to find Harry sitting cross-legged on the couch with his hands in his lap, absolutely beaming up at Louis. 

“I can’t believe this. Final seven,” Harry throws his arms out in the air. 

_Always a flair for the dramatic._

“The penultimate episode,” he waves his hands in front of his face. “Will Louis make it to the finale? Let’s tune in.” 

Louis laughs at Harry’s theatrics as he sets everything down on the coffee table and sits next to him. 

“I guess we’ll have to if we want to know!” 

Louis has refused to tell Harry any details about how he places, though Louis already knows. He came so close to a shot at the million, but lost the immunity challenge at the final five, prompting everyone to vote him out, believing he was the biggest threat to win the game. 

“I also can’t believe that this time next week you’ll be in Los Angeles for the reunion, and I’ll have to watch all by myself.” Harry starts to pout.

“Won’t be that bad for me, I won’t have to put up with rice for dinner.” Louis winks jokingly. But truly, he’s sad he’ll be watching the finale without Harry. 

Harry doesn’t get the chance to retaliate, because he gasps suddenly. “Okay shut up! It’s on.” He turns his full attention to the screen.

They make it through the recap of the last episode in silence. Then, as soon as the theme music starts, Louis’ phone rings. Harry’s head snaps towards him, shooting Louis a look, so he goes to silence it. 

But the name catches his eye. It’s none other than Jeff Probst. Louis has no idea what this could possibly be about. 

_Maybe he’s calling everyone when he knows they’ll be available to talk about next week._

“Sorry, Haz. Think this might be important. You keep watching. I’ll be right back.” Louis quickly stands up and presses accept on the call. As he walks towards the kitchen, he half-whispers into the phone. “Hello?”

“Louis.” Jeff greets him nonchalantly.

“Yeah, Jeff. How’s it going?” Louis would love to skip the niceties. He obviously likes Jeff, but they’re not _friends_. So Louis is rather curious as to why he’s calling him. 

“JEFF!” Harry yells in the background, and Louis rushes to cover the speaker on his phone.

“What was that? Did someone say my name? Am I on speaker?”

“Yeah,” Louis cringes. “I mean no. You’re not on speaker. Sorry. It’s just my friend in the next room. He’s watching the episode right now and he gets really into it.”

Jeff laughs into the phone. “Funny. Okay. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m calling you.”

“I am, actually. I’ll be seeing you next week, man!” Louis’ heart starts to race. He has a weird feeling about this whole thing. 

“I know. I just wanted to ask you before the live reunion, to give you some time to think. Listen, the reception this season has been great. And the majority of it is towards you. Everyone loves you.”

Louis’ brow furrows. He tweets about the show every week after the episode is over, just like all the other contestants, but Louis has never really taken notice of having actual _fans_. “Well, thank you, I guess. That’s great.” He laughs, then adds, “Glad I made it worth your time to finally be casted.”

“So,” Jeff continues. “As you know, we are about to start filming the next season right away. Starts in a couple weeks, really. So we already have the cast list. But we left two spots open. We wanted to bring back a fan favourite from this season. And I would like to offer the spot to you. Would you like to play again right away, Louis?”

This is a big question. Louis has been home for a few months now, but adjusting was hard. To go back and do it all over when he’s finally starting to feel normal again would be foolish. 

“Maybe, I mean, I hoped I would get another shot someday.” Louis whispers, turning his body away from the living room to make sure Harry doesn’t overhear him. “Just didn’t expect it to be so soon.” 

Louis never said he wasn’t foolish. 

“Well we would love to have you out here again right away if you’re up for it. But I guess I should have told you that there is a catch. I did say two spots. Basically, we’re doing another version of our blood versus water season, but with only couples this time around. So, are you seeing anyone, Louis?”

_Shit._

Louis immediately goes into panic mode. He’s been offered another chance to play but is going to have to reject it all because he isn’t in a relationship. Louis turns around to see Harry taking a sip of his beer during the commercial break. 

“Yeah, I am, actually.” 

_What?_

“And I think he would love the opportunity. So, in that case, I’m in.” 

_And WHAT?_

“Great! Why don’t you bring him to LA next week, so we can announce the cast list, including you and your boyfriend at the end?”

“Wow, yeah. That would be. Yeah.” Louis hasn’t fully come to terms with what he has just done. What he has just agreed to. What he has just signed Harry up for, without consulting him first.

“Perfect. Enjoy the episode with your friend, and I’ll see you next week.”

Before Louis can say anything else, Jeff hangs up. He has nothing left to do but pocket his phone and walk slowly back over to the couch. He sits himself down next to Harry in silence, not knowing what he’s going to say. 

“Well,” Harry looks at him. “I hope whoever that was on the phone was more important than watching Sabrina get caught idol hunting,” he says, without any bite in his voice. Just teasing.

“Yeah,” Louis keeps his eyes trained on the screen. “We’ll talk about it after the episode.” And when Harry suddenly looks at him with worry, Louis just rests his hand on his knee.

Harry removes Louis’ hand from his knee and pulls it around his shoulder, instead. He tucks himself into Louis and stays pressed to his body for the rest of the episode. Harry still comments excitedly, and squeezes Louis’ hand nervously when they get to tribal council. He laughs when Louis instigates conflict once again before him and his alliance send Sabrina to the jury. But Harry doesn’t forget. As soon as he watches the preview for the finale - and then rewatches it three more times after that to do his version of an in-depth analysis - he turns to Louis, waiting.

“Harry,” Louis breathes out. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Harry stands up and looks down at Louis, who doesn’t like that feeling, so Louis stands up as well.

“I don’t know what I’ve done…” Louis starts to pace along the carpet.

“Hey,” Harry stops Louis, placing his hand gently on Louis’ shoulder. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”

“Oh, god, H, you don’t even know. Maybe I should just call him back.” Louis pulls his phone out of his pocket, but Harry snatches it before he can even unlock it.

“You’re not doing anything until you tell me what the problem is.”

“Okay, fine. That was Jeff.” Louis answers, reminding himself once again of what he’s just done. For a moment, it had been easy to pretend like it never happened. 

Harry’s face lights up. “Probst?” 

“Yes.” Louis buries his face in his hands. 

Harry pries them away and holds onto them. “And what did he say?”

“He told me that people are really liking me this season.” Louis can’t help but laugh. This whole situation is inherently _not_ funny, but Louis has never dealt well with talking about things that make him nervous.

“As they should.” Harry says firmly, in a serious tone. 

Louis just nods mechanically, still trying to find the courage to continue. To get to the actual point. “And he asked me if I wanted to play again next season.”

Harry squeezes Louis’ hands rather hard before letting go. “That’s incredible!” He throws his arms around Louis’ shoulders, pulling him tight into his body. “I am so happy for you.” 

Louis pulls away slowly, keeping his hands light on Harry’s hips. “But-”

Harry looks at him inquisitively. “You said yes, right?” Harry asks, but then backpedals. “I mean, if you wanted to, of course. You know I’ll support you no matter what you said, even if that means we won’t get to do this again.”

“I did say yes,” Louis sighs. “But that's where the problem starts.” Before Harry can even reply, Louis continues. “It’s kind of like a couples season.”

Harry’s mouth forms an O, seeming to understand, but definitely not fully clueing in yet. 

“So I told him that my boyfriend would love to play.”

“What? Louis, how are you gonna-”

Louis pinches gently at Harry’s hips. He can see the moment it clicks. He always has been able to read Louis’ mind. 

“No way.” Harry deadpans.

“See, I have to call him back and tell him that I can’t. I never should have agreed without-”

“No way!” Harry repeats, but this time, he’s yelling in elation. 

“Harry,” Louis can’t help but smile, despite his current emotions, when Harry is standing in front of him, grinning so brightly. 

“Louis, this is amazing!” Harry walks into the center of the living room. “I mean,” he turns around to face Louis. “We’re gonna have to lie. But that’s fine! Survivor is all about lying!” He yells. “We’ll just be the best at it!”

“Harry,” Louis tries again, following his footsteps to be near him. “This is… A lot. It starts in just a few weeks. We’re going to have to train and…” Louis trails off, unsure as to how he wants to finish the thought. “Be convincing.”

“Louis, listen to me.” Harry takes Louis’ hands in his once more. “I have loved watching you every week. But to get to play with you? I have never been so excited in my life. I would love to be out there. But only if it’s with you. And now I’m going to get that chance, thanks to you.”

Louis can tell he’s being serious, so he isn’t going to fight anymore. He smiles softly at his overeager best friend, who still doesn’t really know what he’s signing up for. 

“Okay, well I think you might really like this part then.” He raises his eyebrows at Harry.

“I’m coming to LA next week?”

“You’re coming to LA next week.”

Harry hugs him again, and for a fleeting moment, Louis thinks it might not be so hard to pretend to date his best friend. 

**

“Don’t post that one!”

“Why not? It’s cute.”

“No,” Harry whines. “I look ridiculous.”

“Harry, setting up this fake relationship is gonna require some ridiculousness.” Louis examines the photo again. He stands by his opinion. It _is_ cute. Harry has his arm draped over Louis’ shoulder, head thrown back in laughter, with his eyes squeezed shut. He looks happy.

“Okay, fine. I guess. I’m only agreeing to this one because it was one of Gem’s favourites when we sent them.” It had been Harry’s idea to have a high quality photoshoot so they had pictures to post sporadically throughout the next few weeks.

Louis smiles down at the picture on his phone. “I think it might be one of mine, too.” He says quietly, for only himself to hear. 

**

“Louis, come on out here!” Jeff calls from the main stage at the commercial break, after it’s revealed he became the final member of the jury. 

The audience erupts in applause as Louis jogs out from backstage. He waves into the crowd, but his eyes immediately find Harry in the second row. Louis shoots him a smile, and he can see that Harry is proud of him, even if he only came in fourth. 

When the crowd settles, Jeff puts a hand on his shoulder. “Tell us what that feeling was. When you lost the final immunity challenge.”

“Honestly, Jeff,” Louis runs his hand through his hair. “My mind immediately went to my boyfriend.” Louis tosses his arm up lazily and points in Harry’s general direction. “I just. I knew that was it. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the final three. And I just remember thinking to myself like, thirty-eight days. You know? Every move I was making and everything I did, I was thinking about him. Wondering if he would be proud of how I played. Hoping I could come home and whisper ‘babe, I think I did it’. Just dreaming of him being here, and hearing you announce me as the winner of this season.” 

The audience is silent, hanging onto every word Louis says. He looks over to Harry, who is _crying_. He’s a better actor than Louis ever imagined. 

“But that’s alright. I know he’s proud anyways, and that’s all I really wanted. Watching this season with him every week, curled up on the couch, knowing I had him in the end,” Louis trails off, still looking at Harry. “It made losing worth it.” 

The crowd awes, and Louis smiles into the sea of strangers. Strangers who liked him. Strangers who are going to see him play again. Play again but with Harry. Harry, his fake boyfriend.

“That’s beautiful, Louis.” Jeff says, effectively silencing the crowd again. “Well, I’m sure we’ll hear more from you later.” He says suggestively, but motions for Louis to join the rest of the cast, seated together on stage. 

After announcing Gigi as the winner, and the whole cast shares hugs and stories, their time on air begins to run down. Louis takes a deep breath in his seat. He catches eyes with Harry as Jeff starts to explain the premise of the next season, and suddenly all the returning players and their significant others are trickling out from backstage. Jeff presents one couple at a time, until there are 16 contestants on the stage. Louis recognizes a few, but has never met any of them. He immediately interprets this as a disadvantage. Survivor alumni are often friends, regardless of whether or not they played in the same season. But with Louis’ season being the most recent, he doesn’t _know_ any of these people. Some of them have reached out over social media after an episode airs to comment on his gameplay, but that was the extent of his outside relationships. 

“We have one more pair joining us for next season, and some of you have already guessed it online. We’re giving Louis Tomlinson another chance, along with his boyfriend, Harry Styles!” 

The audience seems overjoyed by this. 

Louis stands up from his seat with his old castmates and joins the contestants at the front of the stage, and doesn’t see Harry until he’s launched himself into Louis’ arms. Louis smiles and keeps one hand around his waist, and the other cradling his head, gripping his curls between his fingers. 

“I’m so proud of you, Lou.” Harry whispers in his ear. When he finally releases Louis, they share a quick smile, before shaking hands with everyone else on the cast of the next season.

“I’m Zayn, I played a few years back. This is my boyfriend, Liam.” Louis remembers watching Zayn. He was athletic and dangerous. So, probably best to keep on their good side. 

“Nice to meet you guys,” Harry smiles. “I’m glad there’s another male couple here. Don’t know how much heterosexuality I could handle while stranded on an island.”

Zayn and Liam both laugh. 

_Of course Harry is charming everyone already._

“Yeah,” Liam continues. “So where are you guys from? Are you leaving right away?”

“Back to Portland tomorrow afternoon. Gonna have to train this one.” Louis pinches Harry’s cheek, prompting another laugh out of Liam and Zayn.

“Well, I guess we’ll see you in a few weeks then, yeah? But message us, we’re just in Seattle, so, not too far. Maybe we could even get together before we fly out to Fiji.” Zayn smirks, and Louis likes the sound of that. He would love nothing more than to go into the season with an under the radar alliance.

“For sure, see you guys.” Louis grabs Harry’s arm and pulls him away. “Time for the after-party! Wanna go back to the hotel for a bit? Maybe get dressed?”

“Mm,” Harry hums, stopping their bodies and pulling Louis towards him by his hips. 

Louis gasps at the abrupt movement. He’s suddenly face to face with Harry. So close that Harry has to tilt his head down to look at Louis.

_This feels far too sultry._

“Gonna have to dance with you all night. With everybody watching.”

** 

And so he does. 

Harry flits around on his own at the party, making friends with anyone and everyone. But every once in a while, he comes to find Louis, dragging him away from whatever conversation he’s taking part in, to make a big show of dancing together. 

As Louis jumps around with Harry, occasionally ending up with bodies pressed awkwardly together, sweat dripping from his forehead, he realizes how happy he is that Harry got to come with him to LA. Had he not been here, Louis probably would have skipped this party altogether.

**

They get back from the party at just before four. Both far too drunk to remember they’ve been sleeping on opposite sides of their shared king size bed in the hotel room. So when Harry slides back into Louis’ chest and whines as he pulls Louis’ arm around his waist, Louis just sighs and breathes Harry in before sleep overtakes him.

**

3 WEEKS BEFORE SHOOTING

“I can’t do it,” Harry throws his arms up in frustration. “I’ll just have to resign myself from doing these. Someone else can do it.”

They’ve been working on various slide puzzles for over two hours now. Louis knows they’re not easy, but he also knows they’re extremely important. 

“Haz, you’re so smart. You can handle a slide puzzle. It’ll just take some practice. Besides, what happens when you have to do one at an individual immunity? Nobody can do it for you, then. We’ve just been working on them for too long, yeah? Let’s take a break. Go for a swim, then get something to eat.”

Harry just nods. Louis can see his frustration which turns into nervousness. But he keeps telling Harry not to worry. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s just another life experience, and it’s going to be fun. 

“Maybe we should post something today, too.” Louis suggests quietly, still finding their public relationship a little strange. It’s weird to get to be normal at home, but modify everything when they’re in view. And the weirdest part is reading the comments online from people who don’t _know_ it’s pretend. 

_You guys are so cute!!!!_

_Couple goals!!!!_

_OMG kings!!!! Def the hottest couple!!!!_

Louis tries not to read them too often. 

After their swim, they go to one of their favourite restaurants for dinner. 

“Mm,” Harry hums into a bite of his food. After swallowing, he adds, “I’m gonna miss this.” 

“What? Real food?”

“No. Well, I mean yeah, probably.” Harry laughs. “But I meant like. Hanging out with just you. Alone. Like this.” He smiles bashfully and refuses to meet Louis’ eyes.

“Aw babe,” Louis smirks. “Don’t worry, the merge feast can be very romantic.”

“If I even get that far…” Harry mutters, mostly to himself.

Louis hears his comment anyways, and widens his eyes at Harry across the table. “Stop thinking like that.” 

“I know, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so…” Harry waves his hand through the air. “Like this.”

“It’s okay, Haz. It’s fine. You’re fine. Tell you what,” Louis leans forward across the table. “I’m gonna do everything in my power to get you to the end. And you wanna know a secret?”

Harry nods, mirroring Louis’ motion by leaning forward, until he’s close enough that Louis can smell the wine on his breath.

Louis leans in even closer to whisper, “when you get to the end,” he pauses. “You win.” 

The corners of Harry’s lips turn upwards, slowly. 

Louis sits back in his chair, as if he didn’t say anything. He pulls out his phone to take a picture, encouraging Harry to pose for the camera. Harry simply holds up his glass of wine and smiles big and cheesy. Louis posts it with the caption ‘love making my boy smile’, and allows himself to watch, only for a second, as the likes and comments start to flood in within seconds. 

** 

“I did it! Lou look!” 

But Louis doesn’t need to look, he can feel the heat on his face. 

“You’re a natural firestarter, babe!” 

And Louis can’t help letting the pet name slip through his lips so naturally. He has always been affectionate with Harry, and he isn’t going to allow a fake relationship to ruin that. Louis has been casually calling Harry ‘babe’ since they moved in together. It makes things a little easier. 

Harry just keeps staring at his fire, only looking moderately pleased with himself. 

“That took me so long to learn.” 

Harry still doesn’t look up towards him.

“Hey,” and Louis waits for Harry’s attention this time. “I’m proud of you.”

** 

2 WEEKS BEFORE SHOOTING

“Come on Harry!” Zayn yells. “Those long fingers have to be good for something!”

“Heeey!” Harry calls back, clearly not actually offended, judging by the pink in his cheeks.

“This is the worst thing we’ve worked on so far.” Liam complains from his own post, where he is working on the same thing as Harry.

“Come on Payno,” Louis laughs. “Being quick at untying knots is important.”

Zayn and Liam have been staying with Harry and Louis for three days already. There was a close call on the first night, when they offered up Harry’s room for their guests to sleep in. They had asked why they even had two bedrooms to begin with. Louis immediately cut in to explain that they had moved in together as friends, and when they started dating, they decided to just keep most of their stuff separate for the extra space. Since then, Harry and Louis have been excellent at acting all loved up around each other. 

“Done!” Harry calls, and not long after, Liam announces he has gotten all the way down his rope, as well.

“Great job, babe.” Zayn walks over to Liam and kisses him openly.

Louis just looks at Harry and sees the panic in his eyes. That thought evidently hadn’t crossed either of their minds yet. Louis just smiles at Harry and shrugs before walking over and wrapping his arms around him, hoping Liam and Zayn don’t piece together that they haven’t seen them kiss, not even once. 

They don’t seem to notice. 

After a few more days of training together and getting to know each other, Zayn and Liam return home to get themselves ready. Harry and Louis continue with their regular training routines, and start cutting back the hours of sleep they get at night. Unfortunately for Louis, this is making Harry even more difficult to work with at times.

“Louis would you just shut up and let me focus?” Harry shoots Louis a look as he works on the spatial puzzle they rented. He’s been particularly agitated tonight.

“You know what, yeah. Sorry.” Louis walks away. He doesn’t want to yell at Harry or get frustrated, but when Harry is being quippy, it’s severely difficult. He stalks back to his room. It’s getting late anyways, probably time to call it a night. He lays down in his bed and immediately jumps onto twitter.

_I can’t believe @louistomlinson and @hstyles start Survivor right away, good luck guys!_

_I wish Survivor was a live show. I know shooting starts soon but I want @louistomlinson and @hstyles on my screen RIGHT NOW._

_Never in my life did I think I would be excited for a new season of survivor to start just to watch a bunch of couples battle it out. Ready for all the couple vibes from @louistomlinson and @hstyles_

Louis smiles at his phone, then looks up to see Harry standing in his doorway, looking guilty. “Haz?” Louis sits up on the edge of his bed and puts his phone down on his bedside table. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry breathes out. “I’m being the worst. I don’t even know. I just-” He walks over and sits next to Louis. “I’m nervous. I don’t want to disappoint you.” He finishes the last part in a hushed tone.

“Hey, Harry. I get it. It’s just. It’s gonna be hard, okay? But,” Louis reaches up and tugs at one of Harry’s loose curls. “I believe in you. You could never disappoint me.”

Harry smiles, then crawls beside Louis to lay down in his bed.

_This is new._

Harry pulls the covers up to his shoulder. “That’s all I want, Lou.”

Louis stays still for a moment, frozen where he’s sitting. He doesn’t know what to say, and he isn’t sure if he’s supposed to lay down beside Harry. But it’s _his_ bed. When Harry peers over his shoulder to look back at him with pleading eyes, Louis gives in and lays down, tucking himself under the covers next to Harry. Their legs brush together briefly, but Harry pulls away and that’s the end of it. They fall asleep together, as far apart as possible in Louis’ single bed. 

** 

1 WEEK BEFORE SHOOTING

“We’re gonna have to go out and get more sunscreen.”

“Alright, wanna just make a trip now? Get some groceries for the week and pick up chinese takeout on the way home?” Harry suggests.

“Awe, my boyfriend knows me so well!” Louis retorts sarcastically, though it is true that Harry does know him better than anyone else. 

Harry blushes and attempts to cover his cheeks with his hands. 

“Oh, he’s shy, too.” Louis continues to joke, always teetering on the edge of too far. 

“Oh, shut up.” Harry says, leaning more towards a serious tone. “Let’s just go.” 

The drive is silent, which would normally be fine, but Louis can feel tension thickening the air.

“I can’t believe that a week from today I’m gonna be on a plane to Fiji with my boyfriend.” Louis tries to start a lighthearted conversation.

Harry grips the steering wheel tightly and looks straight ahead. 

And maybe Louis’ attempt actually made it worse. “Is everything okay?” Louis asks hesitantly.

“Would you just stop calling me your boyfriend when nobody is around?” Harry snaps.

Louis closes his mouth immediately, to prevent any sort of response. This turns out to be a good thing, because Harry evidently isn’t done.

“It’s just, I understand that publicly we have to pretend, Louis, but when it’s only us, can I not just be your regular best friend? Is that suddenly not enough for you?”

“Understood.” Louis pointedly looks anywhere but at Harry. Maybe he did take it a little too far, but Louis didn’t realize Harry was so repulsed by the idea. “No joking about it.” He looks out the window and doesn’t look back at Harry again.

Harry lets out a silent sigh, but doesn’t say anything after that. 

Once they get to the grocery store, Louis immediately jumps out of the car and starts walking to the entrance. He is pleasantly surprised when Harry catches up to him and laces their fingers together. He looks up towards him in confusion and Harry just squeezes his hand. 

_Right,_ _we’re in public, so this is okay._ _It’s on his terms._

Louis gets a little bitter. 

They pick up a shopping cart on their way in, and Louis pushes it while Harry walks beside him with an arm slung around his shoulder. 

As they stroll through the aisles, Louis can feel eyes on them. But that doesn’t mean he’s expecting it when someone approaches.

“Excuse me,” a girl just a bit younger than the boys says from behind them. “Would you mind if I got a picture with you both?”

“I’m sorry?” Harry asks in confusion.

“Of course.” Louis replies for them. 

“Great!” She smiles, pulling out her phone. She hands it to her friend beside her and squeezes her way between Louis and Harry.

Louis wraps his arm around the small of the girl’s back and feels Harry’s arm overlap his own. They smile for the camera, and after the girl thanks them shyly, they turn around to continue down the aisle, only to find a line of people waiting for their attention. 

“Woah,” Harry chuckles. “Hello.”

“Sorry,” one boy speaks up. “Guess you just have some fans already.”

“Huh,” Harry answers. “Guess so.”


	2. the original tribes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok here we go !!!! time for the game !!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're still here, thank you so much for continuing !! hope you enjoy the start of the actual game :)

DAY 1 

“Welcome, to another season of Survivor.”

Louis glances around at everyone buzzing with excitement. Nine former players standing next to their partners. Nine people getting a chance at redemption, another nine getting their first shot. 

“We really wanted to push the boundaries this time,” Jeff says. “Which is why we asked you returning players to bring your partners.”

And now Louis is feeling slightly apprehensive. Nobody else seems to be feeling any sort of trepidation. But Jeff using the words _push the boundaries_ could not be good.

And then it hits him. As they stand on the beach, Louis realizes how much of an idiot he is. He should have _known_. Jeff is still talking, but Louis isn’t listening anymore. He grabs Harry’s hand quickly, and when Harry looks over at him and meets his eyes, Louis thinks maybe he’s caught on, too. Louis drops Harry’s hand and pulls his attention back to Jeff. Harry begins to bounce nervously, and Louis can’t do much about it. He doesn’t want to get called out on day one; that would be dangerous. He’s already at a disadvantage for being the ‘freshest’ player out here. People could certainly see it as an advantage that he was just out here less than a year ago. 

“So, let’s split you guys up. We will not be splitting up as simply a tribe of returning players against a tribe of your partners, but you will be separated from your partner.” Jeff pulls Louis out of his thoughts again. “Louis,” he says. 

_Oh no_. 

“You seem distracted.”

“Of course not, Probst.” Louis laughs. “Don’t worry, you’re not boring me already,” he pauses. “Just give it a few days.” And that gets a laugh out of a few castaways. 

When Jeff turns around to grab the buffs, Harry turns to Louis, dread visible in his eyes.

“Listen,” Louis whispers. “You’re gonna be with either Liam or Zayn. You stick with them, but don’t make it obvious. Play nice, and pick people you can trust.” Louis pulls away, and Harry just nods solemnly. 

Jeff calls out to them, warning them before tossing two wrapped buffs in their direction. Louis catches both of them, and hands one to Harry. A silent _good luck_ passes between them as Jeff tells everyone to reveal their colour. When they unwrap, Louis realizes he needs to get his head in the game right away. There’s no time to waste. His eyes run down the line, not looking at who will be playing with him for the first bit of this game, but who will be playing with Harry.

“If you have blue, you’re on the Vula tribe, over here on this side. If you have green, you’re on the Waitui tribe, over here on this mat.” Jeff interrupts their murmuring in an attempt to usher them away from their partners. So early. 

Louis looks down at his green buff and Harry’s blue one. When he looks back up, he can see everyone else embracing their partner before going to their respective sides. Louis doesn’t give Harry time to notice for himself, and he is already wrapping himself against Harry’s body. Immediately, he feels Harry’s large hands covering his back, and he squeezes tighter before releasing and turning to walk away without looking back at Louis. Louis walks over to his new tribe, greets everyone with hugs and kisses on cheeks, but tries to watch discreetly as Harry instantly blends in with everyone on his tribe.

“So. Should we get started right now?” Jeff asks, earning another reaction from everyone on the beach. 

That’s not typical. Normally, they get a day to get to know each other as they build their shelters. Jeff reads the distress on their faces, the mere thought of being voted out on day one is daunting. 

“We’re playing for reward. Tribe that wins, when you get to your camp, you will find comfort items for the shelter that you will be building.” 

The challenge is explained, both tribes take a minute to strategize regarding who should fill each role, and then it’s game on. 

**

“Waitui wins! First reward! Absolute blowout on day one!” Jeff calls, as Louis’ tribe celebrates profusely. Louis finds himself being lifted off the ground and thrown over someone’s shoulder. For a minute, he’s excited. But once his feet are planted back on the sand, he thinks to look over at the losing tribe. When he does, Harry flashes him a genuine smile, and for just another minute, he feels alright. 

When they finally make their way to camp, they find chairs, a hammock and tarps waiting for them. Louis smiles as the tribe celebrates over their win. They get to building right away, and without being too obvious about it, Louis flits between stations, offering his help to each group, in order to get to know everyone just a little better, and get some gut feelings about who he wants to work with. Once the shelter is mostly structured and the sun is starting to set, people take the time to lounge around. Louis notices Zayn walking down the beach and decides to follow him.

“How are we feeling?” Zayn asks before Louis is fully caught up beside him.

“Not loving that we’re together, honestly. Kind of wish you could have been watching out for Harry.”

“Louis, don’t worry. He’s friendly enough that everyone will love him but smart enough to not let that be his downfall this early.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Okay. So people here. I like Shawn. For a new player, he seems smart. And his girlfriend definitely was when she managed to make it to the final five, so we might have to watch that. I also like Sierra, Luke’s girlfriend. I think it would be good to have her around.”

“Definitely. I also think we should try to pull in Perrie. Her first time playing, she got voted out early. So she probably won’t seem like much of a threat.” 

With Zayn throwing out one name, they would have enough for a majority. Five is all they would need for the first vote. They could keep it easy. 

“But,” Zayn adds, pulling Louis out of his pre-emptive alliance thoughts. “We need to find the idol, just for us. I don’t think anybody else has even bothered looking. They’re too worried about being targeted this early. But if we’re careful about it, we can do it.”

“Alright,” Louis would love to have an immunity idol between him and Zayn. “Let’s split up then?”

“Definitely. We’ll reconvene when everyone heads to bed.”

Louis nods and splits off from the path he and Zayn had been walking through the sand. He heads back towards the green of the island while Zayn continues towards the rocks. He thinks of all the places he can remember the idol being hidden in past seasons. So he stops by the water well first, and thankfully he brought his canteen, because Shawn is standing there with Perrie. 

“Hey, guys,” Louis calls, warning them that he is approaching. He doesn’t want to be painted as a lurker. 

“Hey, Louis! Out of water already?” Perrie asks as he gets closer.

“Yeah, that sun is hot. Wanna make sure if nothing else, I’m staying hydrated.” Louis laughs and opens his canteen, preparing to fill it again.

“We were just talking about being separated from our girls. Hoping they’re working together over there. How are you feeling?” Shawn asks, as he gestures to the water ladle, offering to fill Louis’ canteen for him.

“I mean,” Louis holds out his canteen, allowing Shawn to fill it for him. “I really hate not knowing about Harry over there. But I’m feeling okay otherwise. What do you think of the people here?”

“Well,” Perrie starts. “I think it would be worth it to work with Lewis and Niall. They seem fun, at least.”

“Yeah,” Shawn adds. “Then us three and Zayn maybe? He’s probably a big target to keep around.”

Louis notes that Shawn and Perrie consider Zayn to be a big threat and a shield for them. He also notes that would make six, and he could cut Sierra out of his original plans if necessary. She’s nice, but she seems more nervous to be here than anything else. 

“It’s not that I don’t like Sierra, Ashton, and Karlie, I just think.” She pauses. “Not in my plans, at least.”

“No, I get it, Perrie. Makes sense, and honestly, I’m down.”

“Really?” Shawn seems surprised. 

“Yeah! Maybe you guys just let Zayn know what you think, and I’ll have to talk to Niall and Lewis a bit more, but. Yeah!” Louis is just happy to hear things falling into a natural place for now. No use making things complicated right out of the gate.

Perrie and Shawn turn to head back to camp, and Louis sets back out to his idol hunt. After checking the well thoroughly and then digging quietly around a few trees, he comes across a tree that stands out in appearance so much, he probably should have checked there first.

“It’s gotta be here,” Louis says out loud, just to convince himself. It’s about to get dark and surely everyone is starting to gather back at the shelter. If it’s not there, he’ll have to call it a night. But when he looks up, in a branch about ten feet up, there’s something wrapped in cloth, tied with a green string. “Hell yeah!” Louis slips off his shoes and tries to get a grip on the tree. After a bit of work, he manages to scale up just high enough to reach what he needs. 

Back on the ground, Louis opens it and holds it up to the camera. “This one is for Harry. Hope you’re doing okay over there, babe.” Louis wraps it back up and stuffs it into his pocket, before putting on his shoes and jogging back towards camp. 

“Woah, who set up the hammock?” Louis asks as he gets back, trying to draw attention away from the fact that he is coming back alone. 

“Niall did,” Lewis answers from where he’s laying in the hammock. “Here, come try it out.”

So Louis does, and he makes a big show of loving it and thanking Niall for his noble work. He wants these two on his side, after all. 

Louis is pulled out for a confessional later in the evening. The camera crew asks him some leading questions. He gives some leading answers to extract information. (Louis learned how to do this last time he played. If there’s one thing _Survivor_ taught him to be, it was cunning). He tossed up the idea of not telling Zayn he found the idol, but decided against it. As one of his favourite players once said : “sometimes if you rock the boat, you fall out”. 

The group gathers materials for fire, and Zayn impresses everyone by getting it started without flint. That was another thing to add to the list of reasons why Zayn was dangerous. If he plays as good of a game as he did last time and then gets dragged to the final four fire making challenge, he wins. No question about it. And Louis likes Zayn, considers them friends, even. But he came to play. Zayn would surely understand when it comes time to backstab him. Just as long as Louis gets to it first. Nothing is stopping Zayn from taking Louis out and having that be part of him playing a good game.

As everyone gravitates towards the warmth of the fire, Louis grabs hold of Zayn’s arm.

“Hey,” he whispers, pulling Zayn further from the fire, out of earshot of everyone else.

“Oh man, I hope you’re about to tell me what I wanna hear.”

“Well, I would hope not to have bad news on day one.”

“You found it?”

“Yeah, I found it.” Louis confirms, then pats his pocket for good measure. 

“That’s great, man. But honestly, talking to these people, I don’t think we’ll need it before a swap.”

Louis hadn’t even considered a swap. He was looking ahead to the merge, but not the shake up that comes before it.

“I think you’re right, but it’s a good feeling.”

They walk back towards the group, and nobody even notices they had disappeared briefly. Zayn stands in behind everyone while Louis puts the idol in his bag at the shelter while it's vacant. As he walks back towards the group, Zayn shoots him a smile. 

When it comes to sleeping arrangements, Louis takes a spot between Zayn and Perrie. He can’t help but wonder where Harry is sleeping. If Harry’s tribe got a shelter built alright. If Harry will even sleep tonight. He keeps wondering until he falls asleep tucked between two warm bodies.

**

DAY 2

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff calls, and after his tribe arrives first, Louis watches Harry’s tribe fall in behind, all looking exhausted.

Harry doesn’t look up to Louis.

Louis pretends that doesn’t hurt. 

“Are you guys ready to get to your first immunity challenge? This is what you’re playing for.” Jeff reveals the mini statue, and _it’s not nearly as ugly as the last one_ , Louis thinks. “Also,” Jeff reaches into his pocket. “Winning tribe is leaving with flint. Losers will get it at tribal council, where someone will be the first person voted out of this game.” Jeff proceeds to explain the challenge.

“Alright, let’s get to it.”

The challenge is close. Through the water portion and the obstacle course, they alternated having the lead. But now it was down to the puzzle. 

“First immunity challenge and we’ve got a showdown,” Jeff narrates as Louis tries to concentrate. 

But he can’t. How could he? 

“We’ve got Harry and Taylor on the puzzle facing off against Louis and Sierra. As soon as you see it, you’ll know, and this challenge will be over.”

Louis is staring at the puzzle. Just analyzing it. Knows he has to win for his tribe. Can’t be the group with the first person voted out of the game. Trusts that Harry is doing well enough with people that he’ll make it through. All he needs to do is stay on the right side of the numbers.

Louis’ tribe is yelling at him to do something, but he knows that will only fluster him. So he asks Sierra to step back so they could just look at it, first. He ignores everyone else, sounding like they might tear him limb for limb if he doesn’t do something and make some progress. 

And then he sees it. He jumps in and starts half-yelling instructions to Sierra as he lifts the first few pieces in place. Within seconds, they finish building the pyramid, and Louis calls out loudly for Jeff to check.

“Waitui wins! First immunity! And fire, in the form of flint!” Louis’ whole team is cheering and celebrating obnoxiously, with hugs and fist pumps and slaps on the back, enjoying the high while it lasts. 

Louis doesn’t understand why nobody else seems to be as worried for their partner on the losing tribe. 

When Jeff gets everyone lined back up on the mats, he carries immunity over to Louis’ tribe, gives it to Sierra, and hands the flint to Shawn. Then he turns to the Vula tribe, with their shoulders sunken and eyes trained down. “Harry, how does that feel?”

“Not gonna lie, it doesn’t feel great to lose, Jeff. Nobody wants to go home on day two.” Harry forces a laugh. 

“And knowing it was Louis who beat you at the end?”

“Well, that doesn’t feel great, either. But obviously I’m always proud of him. He has always been so skilled at puzzles. So I’m feeling a little conflicted here.” Harry turns and finally looks at Louis, and the look in his eye suggests that Harry believes he’ll be safe from the vote later. 

“Alright,” Jeff cuts their secret moment short. “Well, the good news is, both tribes will have a bag of rice waiting for them back at camp. And Vula, you’ve got a date with me tonight at tribal council. Head out.” 

Louis watches as Harry turns around and follows his tribe back to the boat. All he can do is cross his fingers and hope he’ll see him again. 

“So,” Niall is the first to speak when they get back to camp. “Who do you guys think they’re gonna send home?”

“Probably a returning player,” Shawn replies sadly. “I’m actually a little worried for Camila, you know?”

Louis hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe Harry’s tribe was going to target someone who is a threat just because they’ve played before. He does the math and realizes returning players are outnumbered on Vula. 

“Yeah,” Louis jumps in. “But she’s really smart,” Louis puts a hand on Shawn’s shoulder. After all, he needs to keep building relationships. “I’m sure we’ll see her at the next challenge.”

Shawn smiles over his shoulder at Louis. “Thanks man. I just hope you’re right.”

“I mean look, guys. Obviously one of us is about to lose a fr-” Louis nearly slips, but decides to push forward with conviction. “We’re gonna lose a friend, you know, someone we know we can absolutely trust out here. And that’s hard,” Louis looks around to see eight pair of eyes staring back at him with interest. “But we know it’s going to happen.” He finishes with a shrug. 

“Louis is right,” Zayn fills the silence. “Let’s just relax for tonight, get a little bit of rice in us, try to get a full night’s sleep.”

Everyone nods in agreement, and the group divides some tasks. Louis goes with Lewis to the water well so they can get water to boil. 

“How’s it going Lewis? I don’t think we’ve actually gotten to chat since my reunion show.” 

“Yeah, that’s true, man! But I’m feeling good. If I’m being straight forward, I’d like to work with you on this tribe.”

“Really?” Louis prods, trying to pry a little bit, but also noting the very specific time restraint he put on them working together. He explicitly said ‘on this tribe’, and his wording does not go unnoticed.

“Yeah, I really admire how you played. I mean, you did far better than I did, and we played so differently that I don’t think anybody would expect us to work together.” Lewis finishes scooping the water, and turns back to Louis.

“I think you’re right,” Louis agrees, truthfully. “It would be rather unexpected. So who else do you like? You seem to be close to Niall.” 

“Yeah, I do like Niall. I think he’s just trying to have some fun,” Lewis laughs. “Figure his girl got the call, and she wanted to play so bad that he just gave in and came just so she could play again.”

“So, you think…” Louis starts, as they turn to head back to camp. 

“Yeah.” Lewis seems to read Louis’ mind. 

_Niall is just a number for now._

“Okay, so how do you feel about Perrie? Have you talked to her yet?”

“Yeah, her and Shawn actually. I like them both, though it concerns me how close they are already. Plus, Perrie proved in her first season and even here yesterday and today that she is a challenge beast so she’s good to keep around for now. And Shawn seems like he’s here to play. Maybe the opposite of Niall. Camila got the call and Shawn begged her to accept just so he could play.”

Louis laughs. “Okay man, good talk.” 

They’re creeping closer to the camp where everyone is sitting, and need to quiet their voices.

“Who’s ready for some rice!” Lewis calls, and everyone turns and cheers at the sight of a pot full of water. “Alright, who’s gonna start the fire?”

“I’ll do it,” Ashton offers. “Some of the girls already set it up, but I can use the flint.” He gets up and goes to start the fire. 

The tribe eats, and they laugh together, having some sort of sustenance in their stomachs for the first time since getting to the island. Morale is high. But Louis is certain that all of their minds are still wandering to the looming tribal council for the opposing tribe. At least, his mind is.

That night, Louis doesn’t sleep very well. He hopes Harry doesn’t either, simply because if he does, that means he’s probably sleeping in a bed at Ponderosa. 

Louis wishes he could stop thinking about Harry. But he’s not going to think about that too hard.

**

DAY 3

Louis gets up rather early, before the sun has risen. He crawls out from his sleeping spot carefully, not wanting to wake anyone else. It’s hard to find time to be alone in such a cutthroat game, so Louis will take what he can get. 

He already has the immunity idol, so he doesn’t leave with any intent. He is not wandering. He simply goes down to the water to sit in the sand and watch the sunrise. After about an hour, Louis hears footsteps behind him. 

“You okay, Louis?” Niall sits in the sand next to him.

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know, man. I can just see it.” Niall traces his fingers in the sand. “You know, even with your little morale speech yesterday about losing,” Niall pauses, “someone”, he says carefully, looking right into Louis’ eyes. “on the other tribe. I can just tell that you’re the one thinking about it the most.”

“What? No,” Louis sputters, dragging his own hands through the sand.

“Tell me about him.”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s your boy like? Tell me your story.” Niall seems rather insistent, and Louis knows he can’t tell him the true story, exactly.

“Um, Harry is just, great. I don’t know. We met in high school and he’s been my best friend ever since,” Louis stares off at the water, where the tide is picking up. “He’s really the only person I’ve ever felt so much like myself around. Everything with him is always so natural, you know? It’s like I just couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else. We moved in together when we were eighteen, and he’s been my home ever since.”

And _woah_. 

Before they came to the island, Louis had found it weird to pretend to be in a relationship with his best friend. But now that he’s here and not in his presence, it feels like it’s the easiest lie he’s ever had to tell. 

“That’s cute, man.” 

And for a second, Louis forgot Niall was even there. Got lost in his own thoughts about Harry. Again. 

“Thanks, Niall. For bothering to ask, and stuff.”

“No problem, Louis. I love hearing about love. Nothing better than that. When did you guys realize it was love, anyways?”

_Maybe literally right now in this exact moment._

Louis thinks back to the story he had rehearsed relentlessly with Harry. “Uh, we were twenty-one. Realized all of our other relationships were failing because we were just always closer.” 

“Gotta love a slow-burn,” Niall laughs. “But anyways. I came down here to make sure you’re alright. Don’t think too hard or worry too much. It’ll be alright.” Niall stands up. “I’ll leave you alone for a bit. Everyone is still sleeping, so you’ve still got some time out here.” 

And then he’s gone. 

Louis feels the internal panic set in once Niall is far enough away for him to think again. 

_Do I love Harry?_

Everything he said felt so natural and like it’s the truth, even when it’s supposed to be fake feelings. Even the last part about relationships. Louis would never tell Harry, but his first and only real relationship ended last year when his boyfriend broke up with him because he thought something was going on between the two of them, and he didn’t want to be with Louis until he figured it out. He told Louis to call him when he decided which one of them was more important. But Louis didn’t care enough to fight to get him back. So he just told Harry they didn’t want the same things and never looked back. 

Louis decides it’s too early in the game for such heavy internal conflict. So he gets up and brushes himself off, then heads back to camp to get ready for a relaxing day with his tribemates. 

** 

DAY 4

Louis wakes up and knows it’s time for another reward challenge. It’s a sense he’s developed. He retrieves the tree mail in the afternoon, then brings it back to read to everyone. Everyone lets the excitement sizzle, before discussing more about strategy for challenges. They were yet to fully establish who fits best in which positions. Things have gone well so far, but it’s still a learning curve. After deciding general roles, they head out and prepare for the day.

“Come on in guys!” Jeff’s voice rings out, and Louis follows behind Zayn, leading their tribe into the challenge. 

Louis allows himself a moment to take in the challenge. It looks like it’s going to be a big one. 

“Waitui tribe, getting your first look at the new Vula tribe,” he pauses, as they start to walk in. Louis’ eyes scan down the line, and he feels himself let out a small sigh of relief when his eyes catch Harry’s curls bouncing in the wind. 

Harry meets his eyes and gives him a small smile, as if to reassure him. 

“Kaitlin, voted out at the last tribal council.”

Louis reaches across Niall beside him and puts a hand on Ashton’s shoulder as condolences.

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s reward challenge?” And after explaining the challenge, Jeff asks, “Wanna know what you’re playing for?” 

And nobody is surprised when he lifts the cloth to present the noisy animals. 

“One rooster and three egg laying hens. Let’s get started.” 

The challenge begins, and Louis knows his tribe is in trouble when Sierra fails twice to grab the key when jumping off the high platform. He watches from the final station as Harry jumps off the platform and retrieves the final key for his tribe. He takes a moment to admire the speed with which Harry is swimming; his back muscles flexing as he strides through the water with ease.

By the time Louis is able to unlock his chest and land the first ball on the beam, Luke already has four of their five. Louis keeps pushing, but as he’s tossing the second one, he hears Jeff call the challenge.

“Vula! Wins reward!”

Louis squats to the ground and puts his head in his hands. They could have used the protein from those eggs. But he knows Harry obviously could, too. He feels a hand on his shoulder, then accepts it when Zayn reaches out to pull him to his feet.

“Waitui. Got nothing for ya, head out.” 

Louis looks back at Harry one time, who gives him a secret thumbs up below his waist. Louis returns it, then turns and follows his tribemates back out.

“Sorry, guys. That was on me.” Sierra apologizes when they get back to camp.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s never anybody’s fault.” Zayn replies, and Louis smiles smugly, knowing that in Zayn’s next confessional, he will definitely be placing the blame on Sierra. 

And everybody decides to drop it. No use thinking about having eggs, because they don’t. Because they lost. 

“Well, does anybody wanna go for a walk?” Sierra asks. “I just don’t feel like sitting yet.”

“Yeah,” Perrie pipes up. “I’ll come.”

“Me too,” Niall adds. 

So the three of them set off, and everyone else decides to do some camp maintenance work. Zayn and Lewis take dirty items out to the water to do laundry, Ashton and Shawn go to do some weaving to make a cover for their bamboo shelter, and Louis sets out with Karlie to collect some firewood for the evening. 

“So, Louis, what’s it like being out here two seasons in a row? You must not have been home a whole year, even!” Karlie makes conversation as they walk through the green together. 

“Yeah, I think I was home for about six months. And honestly, it was hard. I was finally getting back into a routine and feeling normal again when the reunion show came around, and it was right around then that Jeff called and asked if I wanted to play again.”

“So what made you say yes?”

Louis’ mind flashes back to his conversation on the phone with Jeff during the second to last episode of his last season. He sees Harry on his couch, sitting excitedly to watch Louis on screen. He sees Harry take a sip of his beer, then jump off the couch when the intro music plays. 

“Harry.” And he isn't trying to sell his fake relationship right now. 

“Really?”

“I mean,” Louis picks up a log. “Yeah. I was kind of unsure about it when Jeff asked if I wanted to play again right away. He didn’t actually mention the couples thing at first. But when he called, Harry was on our couch watching an episode from last season. He was always so excited and I always kind of made fun of him for it, but I loved our weekly traditions. I was hesitant, but I wanted to have that again.” Louis laughs, thinking about his eye rolls and his snide remarks about the rice Harry prepared for dinner every Wednesday.

“But then Jeff told me it was going to be a season for couples, and that’s what pulled me in one hundred percent. It was one thing for us to watch me on the screen. But I just knew Harry would love to play. Then, when the season airs, we’ll get to sit on the couch and watch both of us.”

Karlie coos at him. “That’s so sweet, Louis. Honestly, the pictures you guys post… I can see why everyone thinks you’re the cutest couple out here.” 

“I mean,” Louis stutters. 

_How can we be the cutest couple when we’re not even a couple at all?_

“Thanks” is what he says instead. 

“We were the opposite, honestly. Taylor wanted to play again, so she begged me to come with her. Truthfully, I didn’t love the sound of it. But I would do anything for her. So here I am!” She laughs.

“That’s great, Karlie. I’m glad you’re here.”

After a few more minutes of collecting wood, their arms are full and they can’t carry much more. The sun will start to set soon, anyways, and they want a fire by nightfall. 

“So,” Karlie says as everyone gathers around the fire. “I was talking to Louis a little bit earlier, and when we were talking about Harry and Taylor, I thought we should totally play a game of two truths and a lie, but about our partners.”

“That sounds kinda fun.” And of course Shawn would think this would be fun. Him and Camila probably have the world’s most public, PDA filled relationship. 

“Sure, what else are we doing?” Perrie laughs.

“Okay! Great!” Karlie clasps her hands together. “Who wants to go first?” 

“I’ll start,” Zayn says. “Okay. I met Liam when he was working as a bartender and I got shit-faced while he was on shift, his biggest pet peeve is when I get too clingy, and…” Zayn pauses to think. “We got caught having sex in a public park.”

“Woah,” Niall laughs. “I see we’re gonna put it all out there.”

“Alright,” Ashton says. “Well I say there’s no way they even considered having sex in public.”

“I second that.” Perrie giggles.

Everyone else just kind of nods in agreement.

“Well, that’s actually true.” Zayn blushes. “The lie is that he hates when I get clingy. He’s actually more clingy than me, most times.”

“Woah!” Everyone yells together.

“We’re gonna need that sex story, buddy. Maybe not on day four, though.” Shawn laughs.

“Okay. Um, Louis, you go next.” Zayn passes it on to Louis, who is in no way ready to make up three lies about their relationship on the spot and then act like only one of them is a lie.

But then Louis realizes he doesn’t actually have to lie for all of them. “Harry and I met in high school and moved in together as just friends, I said ‘I love you’ first, and Harry is the only real long-term relationship I’ve ever been in.” 

“Oh, this is tough!” Ashton says after a moment of silence. “I don’t even think I could even hazard a guess at which is the lie.”

“Well,” Sierra says. “I feel like Harry seems a little more open, so maybe it was actually him who said ‘I love you’ first.”

“Hmm, ouch?” Louis jokes.

“Sorry, Louis, but I think I’m with Sierra on that, actually.” Karlie adds.

Zayn nudges Louis’ shoulder. “Yeah, me too.” 

Shawn laughs. “I think maybe we all agree.”

“Well, you guys are right.” Louis throws his hands up dramatically. “I didn’t say it first.” 

_But that’s only because neither of us have_. 

“Wow, so he’s really been your only real relationship, huh?” Shawn asks, clearly out of curiosity.

“Uh, yeah,” Louis runs a hand through his hair. Really, that’s not even a lie. He’s never dated anyone long-term. Harry is the relationship he’s had longest. They’ve been friends for a decade now. 

“How old are you guys, if you don’t mind me asking?” Sierra asks.

“We’re both twenty-three.”

“How old were you when you met? And when you got together?”

Louis thinks. “We were thirteen when we started ninth grade,” he pauses to think back to what he told Niall. “And we got together when we were twenty-one.”

“Isn’t that crazy?” Niall cuts in. “Took them eight years. Now look at them.”

Louis isn’t sure what that’s supposed to mean, but he smiles nonetheless, and passes his turn onto Niall. 

Louis doesn’t really pay much attention for the rest of the game. He laughs when everyone else laughs and figures that’s enough effort for the night. When everyone decides it’s time for bed, he goes to lay down in the shelter, but when he realizes he’s the last one still awake, he gets up again. He’s really frustrated that he’s not sleeping like everyone else. Louis tends to the dying fire, then finds himself sitting on the beach again. He figures it must be past midnight by the time his body is practically begging him for sleep. So he gets up, walks quietly into the shelter, takes back his spot, and squeezes his eyes shut, wishing for sleep to come. 

**

DAY 5

Last to fall asleep, but first awake. Louis decides maybe if he stays where he is and closes his eyes, he could possibly get a little more sleep. So he doesn’t get up. It’s still dark and he convinces himself that maybe he can trick his brain into thinking it’s nighttime. 

But he can’t. His body won’t fall back asleep. After trying for about half an hour, he gives up.

“Is anyone else awake?” He whispers into the darkness of their shelter. 

“Yeah,” a husky voice whispers back.

Louis can’t see who it is. 

“Wanna go for a walk?”

And Louis doesn’t even know who he’s talking to, but after a mostly sleepless night, he could use some interaction. “Yeah, let’s go.”

He gets up very carefully and keeps himself crouched down low as he walks across the bamboo floor. Once they’re both out on the sand, Louis realizes he was talking to Niall.

“So why are you awake?” Louis asks once they’re far enough away from everyone else still sleeping.

“Well, realistically, I probably slept six hours, which is about typical for me. My body just hit the usual and decided that was good enough, I guess.” 

“Oh, nice.”

“I could ask you the same, but I have a feeling I already know the answer.” Niall doesn’t say anything more on the subject. “Wanna go look for an idol?”

Louis is taken aback by Niall’s bluntness, considering they haven’t really talked strategy just between the two of them before. “Sure.” 

He still has to act like he doesn’t have it.

“I figure we’ll have just enough time to check by the rocks before people start really waking up. If we don’t find it, we can go out to the forest later.”

“Sounds good.”

Louis doesn’t like the silence as they search. “So,” he starts casually. “We’ve talked a bit about my relationship. But what about you and Julia?” 

“Not much of a story, there. Kind of like you and your boy, except we got our shit together much faster.” Niall laughs. “Met in high school, but we were together before we graduated. To be fair though, we did spend a whole year broken up, so maybe you did it better.”

“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as to say that,” Louis thinks maybe he’s being irrational in his thoughts that him and Harry should have just gotten together. Maybe if Louis had just said something. 

But what would he have said? Louis hadn’t even entertained the idea until two days ago. So, yeah, he’s definitely being irrational.

“Either way. I love her a lot and I’m glad we’re out here together, even if we’re not actually playing together. At least now we’ll have that shared experience, and when she talks about Survivor to her friends, I can now jump in and say that I played too.” Niall laughs. 

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

“How does Harry see it?” Niall asks suddenly. “Like, do you think he’s happy to be out here, even if you’re not together right now?”

“I hope so,” Louis flashes back to when he first told Harry about accepting the offer. How Harry had said he would love to play, and to be out here. He can also hear Harry’s next words so clearly in his head. 

_But only if it’s with you_. 

Niall shrugs. “I guess that’s all you can do, for now. Hope you both make it far enough to play together.”

Louis nods. “Anyways,” he says after a short silence. "We should probably head back.”

“Yeah,” Niall agrees. “Also,” they turn around and start their walk back towards camp. “I know we’ve only really talked relationships as of now, but I think we should work together.”

_Is Niall always this upfront?_

“Yeah, man, I kind of had the chance to talk to Lewis a bit, and I agree. I think us three, then Perrie and Shawn would be willing to work with us.” Louis intentionally leaves Zayn out. 

Zayn is definitely his number one out here. But if he can have the majority, without people knowing that Zayn is also in that majority, that would be ideal. 

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking!” Niall claps Louis on the shoulder. 

“Perfect.”

**

“Let’s go in the water!” Perrie yells. 

It’s late in the afternoon, and the heat is excruciating. 

“Yeah, I think we could all use a cool down.” Ashton agrees.

Everyone gets ready, making sure all of their clothing is tucked away and dry for when they're finished, then they head out all together. 

Louis runs out ahead of everyone else, straight into the water, letting a wave knock him back. 

He can hear laughter behind him, and soon enough, he’s surrounded by eight other people. Louis knows that these good and fun times are important, because when it’s time to get intense, these moments don’t get to exist as frequently. 

“This is so nice,” he sighs.

“What is?” Karlie laughs.

“Just this. All of us laughing together. It’s nice while it lasts, you know?” Louis answers nervously. 

“Yeah, that’s true. I remember the first time I played,” Lewis jumps in. “There was none of this. We were initially divided into three smaller tribes and we had one guy who just…” he trails off. “Total killjoy. There was no fun. And since we were a smaller tribe, there was nowhere to hide.”

“Man, I was the total opposite,” Perrie laughs. “Our tribe didn’t know how to be serious. We never lost. There was never any concern. We were also in three tribes, and we just decimated one so badly until there were two people left, and they were split between us and the other tribe. Then my tribe just kept winning until the merge.” Perrie isn’t looking at anyone in particular, but wistfulling recollecting her first season. “I hadn’t been to a tribal council until then. And it’s not like I didn’t know how this worked. But it still felt like a shock when things got a little more competitive, and suddenly the people on my original tribe were no longer just all working together. And then I was gone!”

Part of Louis wishes they could have it that way this season. All play, no work; until it was necessary. But he knows that would mean demolishing Harry’s tribe, and increasing the likelihood of Harry being voted out pre-merge. 

“What about you, Ashton? What was your season like?” Louis asks, wanting to include all the returning players in the conversation.

“Well, very much in the middle. Both original tribes were about equally as strong so we won some, we lost some. Then we swapped and I was outnumbered so. That’s the end of it.” He laughs in an attempt to hide the bitterness. 

“That’s pretty much like mine, too.” Zayn says, the last returning player to share, other than Louis. “We were pretty balanced, but unlike Ash, I had a lucky swap.” He shrugs.

All the new players are listening intently. They seem genuinely interested in their old stories.

“What about you Louis?” Perrie asks. “We never really got to know you in the Survivor community before this since you were so new. But what was last season like? The episodes only show so much.”

Louis shrugs. “It was honestly pretty much as you saw it. We didn’t do much in our downtime, though. In general, they edited the show rather accurately. Except for poor Eleanor, honestly. She was not as bad as they made her seem. She earned her place in the final three.”

After wading around for another few minutes, they decide to go dry off on the beach and lay down in the sun. So they drink some water, then spread themselves out in the sand. 

They lay there in silence, and Louis feels at peace.

** 

And then the storm comes.

They all know to expect the always changing weather, and the extreme highs and lows. But for Louis at least, this is the worst he’s seen it. The rain and the wind won’t stop. They’re all soaked from head to toe. Can’t get dry, can’t stay warm.

“This is awful,” Shawn whines, teeth chattering throughout. 

“Well, they must expect it to let up soon enough, because we’re not being evacuated.” Zayn replies, trying to stay positive. 

It doesn’t let up. It rains all night. 

Louis is pretty sure this is the first night he’s not the only one who doesn’t sleep.

**

DAY 6

Everybody is awake early in the morning. They all know that it must be another immunity challenge day, but nobody wants to acknowledge it. 

“God, how do you think they’re doing in the other camp?” Sierra asks. “They don’t even have tarps.”

Louis didn’t even think of that. His tribe had tarps from the comfort reward that could at least serve as a half-decent cover for their shelter. The wind was strong enough for the rain to enter a bit anyways, but it must be far worse at Vula. 

“I don’t even want to think about it,” he answers honestly, not realizing he was saying the words out loud. 

“Taylor knows how to weave pretty strong. Hopefully they’ve got some good cover.”

**

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff yells, though his voice is mostly drowned out by the howl of the wind. 

They all walk in rather miserably. 

Louis looks over to Harry, who is running a hand through his wet hair, slicking it back. Louis tries his best to smile at him through the harsh conditions, and Harry tries his best to return it.

“You okay?” He mouths over to him. 

Harry nods at him, then mouths back, “You?”

Louis nods, but wishes he could go stand next to Harry. 

“Nothing like a little rain during today’s immunity challenge.”

Everyone groans, but collectively acknowledge that they’ll get through it. 

“First, Waitui, gotta take back the idol.”

Shawn meets Jeff halfway and hands it back.

Jeff explains, and once the challenge is understood, he nods towards Louis’ tribe. “Waitui, you’ve got one extra player, who’s gonna sit out?” 

Karlie raises her hand.

“Alright, Karlie sitting out. Take a spot on the sit-out bench. Everyone else, let’s get to it.”

Everyone takes their place and Jeff calls for the challenge to begin. They all put in full effort, but they are still much slower than usual. The wind is blowing towards them, hitting their faces, slowing their feet as they run through the field.

It feels like a miracle when the challenge is over, until Louis realizes what that means.

“Vula! Wins immunity!”

And _oh._ Waitui is going to tribal council.

Even in the cold, Vula manages to celebrate their win, while Waitui collectively drops to the ground. They’re miserable and now they have to vote someone out. 

“Vula,” Jeff walks the idol over to their tribe. “Night off, tonight. Try to stay warm.”

“Waitui,” he turns to Louis’ tribe. “Got nothing for ya. Head out.”

Louis doesn’t look over at Harry, so he doesn’t know if Harry looked to him. And it’s probably better that way.

They get back to camp and all pile together in the shelter. This is great to protect each other from the elements, but not so great for strategizing. 

After what feels like hours have passed, the rain stops. The sky opens up, and it’s almost as if the 24 hour storm never happened. The weather is unforgiving. 

One by one, people start to get up, and this means it’s game on.

Louis jumps up and asks Perrie if she’d like to join him. She does.

“Okay,” he says once they’re walking down the beach. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know yet. I was gonna just ask you and go with it.” 

Louis is taken aback by this statement. 

_That’s one way to play_. 

“Okay, well, here’s what I was thinking.” 

Louis explains the logic behind his first target, and Perrie seems to agree. It’s hard to tell when people are telling you the truth out here, though. And since this is only their first tribal, Louis doesn’t have a complete read on everyone yet. He’s just going to have to trust his instinct.

“How about you talk to Shawn, and if he agrees, get him to talk to Niall and Lewis. I’ll talk to Zayn.”

“Sounds good,” she replies before walking away. Conversations out here have to be quick. 

Louis wanders off to find Zayn. The two of them go back and forth a little bit between two targets, but eventually come together on Louis’ idea.

“You’re right, it would definitely change things if we played it that way.”

Louis smiles at Zayn as he packs his bag for tribal council. It’s never a good idea to appear too comfortable. 

As they walk in silence, Louis just hopes this night goes as he planned. He doesn’t want to be calling all the shots, but it’s never a good feeling to be left out of a vote. Nobody wants to play from the bottom. Unfortunately, some people will be left out tonight and there will be damage control to do. 

“Grab a torch, dip it in, and get fire. Fire represents your life in this game. When it’s gone, so are you.” Jeff is sitting on his own seat, while Louis and all his tribemates place their torches behind their seats, before sitting in two rows. 

“So,” Jeff starts once everyone is settled. “Let’s talk about these first six days. Ashton,” he chooses someone seemingly at random. (It’s never random). “Are there any obvious bonds forming?”

“Well, nothing that stands out, you know? This is kind of a season where right now, on these specific tribes, there isn’t going to be any flirting happening,” he pauses. “Or at least I hope there isn’t.”

Everyone laughs.

“Shawn, do you think there are lines being drawn between new players and returning players?”

Shawn doesn’t answer immediately, clearly thinking about his choice of words carefully. “I think it’s definitely a possibility. Has it been considered? I don’t know for sure. I think out here, you have to build relationships that run deeper than just ‘oh we should get rid of anyone that has already played because they know what they’re doing’. Not only because that’s not necessarily true, but also because it’s too superficial to last.”

“So are you insinuating that one or more of these returning players don’t know what they’re doing?”

“No,” he replies quickly. “That’s not what I meant by that.” Clearly, he didn’t think through his words carefully enough. “All I’m saying is that just because they played, doesn’t automatically make them smarter than us. It would be unfair to assume that we’re not strategic just because this is our first chance to play.”

Everyone else nods along in agreement, nobody taking offence to his words, the way Jeff probably hoped someone would.

“Okay. Niall,” Jeff moves on. “Who do you think is taking it the hardest, being separated from their significant other?”

Niall glances around. “Probably Lou, over there.” He points down to where Louis is sitting in the first row. 

_Damn it, Niall._

“Louis?” Jeff asks.

“Yeah, I think so. And I mean, I don’t blame him. Poor kid was only home with Harry for a few months before coming out here again to play together, except they’re not even together.”

“Louis, how do you feel about this accusation?”

“I mean,” Louis exhales loudly. “I don’t want to come across as this like, lovesick puppy.”

Everyone laughs again.

“I hope I don’t come across like that,” Louis continues. “And even though I’m not sulking about it, yeah, I’ll admit it. I miss Harry.”

 _It’s nice to say it out loud._

“I miss him a lot,” he adds quickly. “And I wish we could be playing this game together.”

“Everyone else feeling the same?”

Louis watches as everyone nods.

_Good. At least I’m not being singled out already. That would be ridiculous. I’m the only one here pretending to be in a relationship._

“But Karlie, does that worry you at all? If everyone misses their partner so badly, what does that mean when some of you finally do get to play together?”

Karlie is quick. “I think that’s something we worry about when we get to that point. If you’re blinded by what’s coming up, you’re gonna get blindsided by what’s happening in the moment.”

“Wow!” Jeff exclaims. “With that, it is time to vote. Zayn, you’re up.”

One by one, everyone casts their votes and returns to their seat. 

“I’ll go tally the votes.” Jeff nods towards them, before heading to the voting area to retrieve the urn.

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and wants to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Louis can feel people looking around, so he does the same, acting as though he’s wondering if anyone has it.

“Okay.” Jeff says, after giving more than enough time for someone to speak up. “Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately.”

Louis swallows. He hopes this turns out. 

“I’ll read the votes.”

**

DAY 7

“Hey Louis,” Karlie says casually once Louis finally sits himself up and stands from the shelter. “I was just wondering if we could talk.”

Louis knew he would have to do some damage control. And he had all night to think about what he would say. 

“Sure, Karlie. Just let me grab my canteen, then we can head to the water well, yeah?”

Karlie remains silent for the first minute of their walk. 

“So,” Louis decides he should initiate. That’s probably what she’s looking for, anyways. “You’re probably wondering why you were left out of the vote last night?”

“Yeah,” she replies cooly. “I just thought we were cool, you know?”

_Oh, so this is about her feelings being hurt._

“Well, honestly Karlie, I just kind of hoped you wouldn’t take it personally. It really just came down to the fact that we didn’t want it to be unanimous.”

“Why not?”

“Well, think about it,” Louis shrugs. “Ashton’s girlfriend was first voted out. That must have been hard enough. Then, for all of us to just pile our votes on him as if he had no chance? That would really suck.” Louis pauses. “I was trying to spare his feelings, and just hoping you would understand my emotional logic. But that being said,” Louis thinks he might have the best social game to ever exist. “I was still wrong. I should have told you the plan, and just asked you to write down someone else’s name. That way, we could have let Ashton go gently, but you still would have been included. And that was my misjudgement. I’m sorry, Karlie.”

Louis pours water into their canteens that Karlie is holding for them. She puts the caps back on and hands Louis’ back to him.

“Wow, Louis. I appreciate that. Really. I’m glad I worked up the nerve to talk to you again.”

Louis laughs. “No worries, Karlie. I’m glad you did, too. I know it’s always nice to debrief after a vote when you’re left out of it.”

When they get back to camp, everyone else is awake. Louis convinces everyone to just take it easy for the day. Conserve energy for whenever the next challenge comes up.

**

DAY 8

There is no challenge. Louis’ tribe spends the day split between talking and sleeping. Before they go to sleep, they all get a little bit of rice in their stomachs to prepare their bodies for the inevitable challenge tomorrow. 

** 

DAY 9

“Vula! Wins immunity!” 

Louis groans at the prospect of another tribal council. He doesn’t feel unsafe; he feels like he can trust his alliance. But he hadn’t fully thought out who he wanted to go next. He hates not knowing. 

When everyone is lined back up on the mats, Jeff walks immunity over to Vula, where he hands it to Harry. Harry, who absolutely carried his tribe in that challenge. Sure, it helps that they have eggs for protein. But it also helps that Harry could have single handedly won that challenge for them.

“Vula, for the second time in a row, immunity is yours. Safe tonight from tribal council.”

Louis looks up towards Harry, who is still smiling down to the ground, dimples popped, feeling the praise from his tribe, who are still patting him on the back, and giving him hugs from the side. 

Louis feels a pang of jealousy that he immediately pushes back down. 

Finally, Harry looks up and meets Louis’ eyes. His smile only grows bigger. 

Back at camp, Louis knows he has work to do. He goes to Zayn first. 

“Okay,” he starts once they’re alone. “What are we thinking, man?”

Zayn looks around, as if to make sure nobody is following them. “We gotta get rid of Lewis.”

This comes as a surprise. “You think?”

Zayn nods.

“Why?”

“He’s dangerous, man. We must be getting close to some sort of a swap, and I’m worried he could take control from there. Plus, he’s getting too close to Niall. If him, his girlfriend, Niall and his girlfriend get together...”

Louis agrees. That is a reasonable assumption. If Lewis ends up on the bottom of a new tribe, he is charming enough that he could certainly convince some of them to flip, and suddenly he’d have a new alliance.

“Okay, that’s a good idea.” Louis is still processing. “But we need to keep our hands clean. Or at least, make it seem like our hands are clean.”

“How are we gonna do that?” 

Suddenly, Louis feels like he could pull off the win this time. He just needs to get there. Needs to keep playing smart. 

**

“So, boys,” Louis starts. He needs them to feel like this is their idea. “What are we thinking for the vote tonight?” 

Shawn shrugs. “We could go for one of the girls?” He says in the form of a question, perfectly taking Louis’ bait.

Louis knew that by referring to the group as ‘boys’, it would send them a subliminal message. 

“Cool,” Zayn agrees immediately. “So which one?”

“Do we want to stick with the numbers from the last vote?” Zayn asks a leading question. 

“Hmm,” Niall pauses to think. “What if we went with Perrie tonight?”

“I couldn’t have made a better call myself.” Zayn replies smugly.

**

“Perrie, listen to me. Here’s exactly what’s going to happen tonight.” Louis gives her a rundown of the plan. “You have to follow through, though. If you screw us over…”

“Louis, I won’t. You’ve handed me your trust. Just tell me, who are me and the girls voting for?” 

**

Everyone puts their torches down and takes a seat in front of Jeff.

“So, Karlie,” Jeff calls her out first. “What was camp like after the first vote?”

“Well, I was left out, but Louis and I had a good talk the morning after.”

“Ooh,” Louis cuts in. “Makes it sound like we’re secret lovers.” He winks in her direction. 

“Don’t be cheating after only a week and a bit, Louis! Come on now,” Jeff laughs. “What would Harry think?”

“To be perfectly candid, Jeff, I do not know.”

Everyone laughs, not realizing Louis is being totally serious.

“Okay,” Jeff makes it clear they’re moving on. “Lewis, what is the vote based on tonight?”

“I think at this stage in the game, it’s about keeping the tribe strong. And the problem with that idea is that ‘keeping the tribe strong’ can vary in meaning for different people.”

Jeff nods. “Zayn, Lewis said something very interesting there. So for you, what does it mean to keep the tribe strong?”

“For me, it’s a combination of things. Obviously we want to do well in challenges, but we also want to keep our numbers strong, with the assumption that things are probably going to be shaken up soon.”

“So loyalty is a factor then. Is that true for you as well, Louis?”

“Yeah, and that’s hard. It depends on whether you’re playing a short-term game, or if you’re already looking ahead to the end game.”

“Well,” Niall adds. “I think we shouldn’t look so far ahead that we make shortsighted decisions right now.” 

_Does he know what’s about to happen? Why does this feel so passive aggressive?_

Louis looks quickly to Zayn, who seems unbothered by the comment. 

“Shall we get to it then?”

When nobody adds anything else, Jeff tells Shawn to go vote.

Everyone casts their vote, and Louis suddenly feels nervous. This is a big vote for day nine. It feels like a move for day twenty-nine.

“If anyone has a hidden immunity idol and they want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Perrie raises her hand. “Jeff,” she reaches into her bag. “I know a bad feeling when I have it, and I would like to ensure myself another day in this game.”

Louis widens his eyes in mock surprise, along with Zayn. Around them, Shawn, Lewis and Niall are having real, unfiltered reactions of shock.

Perrie stands up and walks the idol over to the podium. 

“This is a hidden immunity idol, any votes cast for Perrie will not count.” Jeff lifts the lid off the urn. “I’ll read the votes.”

Niall reaches over to Perrie and taps her on the shoulder. “How did you know?”

“Just a feeling.”

“First vote,” Jeff says as he unfolds the parchment and turns it around. “Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“So who did they go for?” Shawn whispers. 

Jeff pulls out the next vote. Louis feels like throwing up. It would have been so easy for Perrie to convince Sierra and Karlie to turn on him after he saved her.

“Lewis.”

Louis lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“Oh, you’re kidding me,” Lewis laughs. 

“Ugh.” Niall groans into his hands.

Louis sighs in relief, but hopes it comes across as sadness.

Jeff opens up another vote. “Third person voted out of Survivor Players versus Partners,” he turns it around. “Lewis. That’s two, that’s enough. You need to bring me your torch.”

Lewis just laughs again. “Good play girls,” he says as he stands up. “Really, I had no idea.”

Louis and Zayn share a look along with a smug smile tugging at the corners of their mouths.

“Lewis,” Jeff says, as Lewis puts his torch down beside him. “The tribe has spoken.” Jeff snuffs his torch. 

Lewis turns around and salutes. “It was great playing with all of you. Good luck.”

And then he’s walking out.

Perrie turns around in her seat to look at Louis. For a moment, she held his life in the game, and she knows it. 

“Well, I’m sure there was an interesting strategy at play here to keep the tribe strong tonight. And I guess we’ll just have to see what happens. Goodnight.” Jeff dismisses them. 

They all grab their torches and head out. 

Louis sleeps through the night, content with the move he pulled off, and thankful to be spending another night sleeping in the uncomfortable shelter, knowing he probably isn’t too many days away from sleeping in an uncomfortable shelter with Harry. 


	3. the swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shaking things up !!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you thank you thank you

DAY 10

“So, uh,” Niall fills the silence that has been hanging heavy over the camp since they got back from tribal the previous night. “That was a good read, Perrie.”

“Yeah, thanks. I just felt like. You boys were being too quiet around me. And every time you feel safe like that, a bad feeling settles in.”

“Yeah,” Shawn nods along. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Well,” Zayn cuts in, the tension still heavy. Niall and Shawn clearly have doubts. “It was a good move.”

Louis smiles, knowing that was his and Zayn’s good move. 

“So,” Louis tries to change the topic. He can’t blow up his own secret agenda. “I bet there’s a swap. And I bet it’s today.”

“Let’s go sit with Karlie and Sierra,” Perrie suggests. “We need to talk strategy if that’s the case.” 

“I mean, sure. But what’s there to talk about?” Louis shrugs. “I mean, we can’t say we’re going to stay Waitui strong. The fact is that some of us are gonna end up with our partners.” Louis can only hope he does. “And that definitely changes things.”

“I guess you’re right.” Perrie replies.

“But what if we don’t?” Shawn looks at Louis, almost accusingly, as if he was giving false hope. 

“What?”

“What if we don’t end up with our partners? Then what’s the plan?” Shawn clarifies.

Louis leans in towards the group. “Then us five, we stick together.” 

“It’s basic math,” Zayn interjects. “We’ve lost two people, and they’ve lost one. So there’s fifteen of us left. That means if we swap before the next challenge, I can almost guarantee we’re being put into three tribes of five. There’s also a possibility of drawing for two new tribes, and the person left out is automatically immune and joins the losing tribe after the next vote out.”

_Zayn is way too smart to keep around until the end._

“But anyways. Let’s ignore that option, because it’s the least likely of the two.” Zayn picks up a stick and begins to draw it out in the sand. “No matter what, there will be at least two of us together on two separate tribes. The closest we can come is two, two, and one. Obviously, it can be split in other ways, but the point is, there’s a minimum of two.”

Louis examines the figures Zayn is creating in the sand. It’s clear that he is going to run nearly every scenario in how they separate. 

“Then we have to factor in Sierra and Karlie. Because if they end up with any of us, and we have a majority, but without a loved one, it could be an easy vote.” 

“But that would mean one of us would lose someone. Because the only single out here right now is Paige. Don’t you think that’s a loyalty issue?” Niall asks without any bite in his tone. Just wondering about where Zayn stands regarding their partners in all this.

“Yeah, actually, you’re right. I didn’t consider that.” Zayn uses his hand to erase his current diagram and start fresh. “So us five. First targets need to be Paige, Sierra and Karlie. So we’ll have to team up with each other’s loved ones in some cases.”

Louis is torn. He suddenly feels like he needs Zayn gone before the merge. But he also knows that he is an essential ally. The thought leaves his mind as quickly as it appeared. He needs Zayn to stick around for a little while longer. 

After discussing possible situations for an unknown period of time, Karlie walks over with tree mail. 

“We’ve got to go soon. I think something’s gonna happen!” She says with a hint of excitement, probably hoping she’ll be reunited with Taylor. 

“Alright, let’s go find out then.” 

**

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff calls.

They all walk in, Louis’ tribe following in behind Harry’s. 

“Vula getting your first look at the new Waitui tribe, Lewis voted out at the last tribal council.”

That gets an audible reaction out of the opposite tribe.

“Woah,” Jeff comments. “Big reaction. Jade, explain.”

“I don’t know, Jeff,” Jade replies. “Just didn’t see it coming.”

“Paige, what about you? Describe that feeling.”

_Come on, Jeff. Poor Paige looks like she’s going to cry. Or quit. Or both._

“It sucks,” she whimpers. So crying it is. “This is his game. I came out here to play with him.”

“Well, now it’s up to you.” Jeff says encouragingly. “Shall we get to it?”

Everyone nods.

“Everybody,” Jeff pauses. “Drop your buffs. We’re changing it up.”

This statement earns another audible reaction, but this time from everyone. They all take their buffs from their heads or their wrists and drop them into the sand.

Jeff walks over a basket with a fresh set of buffs wrapped up. He starts at Louis’ tribe. “Take one, but don’t open it yet.”

Louis takes one, then looks across to the Vula tribe to see Harry with his eyes closed, head tipped back to face the sun. His skin is golden, and he’s glowing under the sun. Louis continues to watch as Jeff’s presence startles Harry back into awareness and he takes his own buff. Once he does, he leans forward and locks eyes with Louis’. 

_Hopeful._

His eyes look hopeful.

“Everybody reveal,” As they start to unwrap their new buffs, Jeff adds, “We’re going from two tribes to three.”

Zayn nudges Louis’ shoulder as if to say ‘I told you so’. 

“Green is still Vula, blue is still Waitui, and if you have red, come stand in the middle. You will be on Kalokalo.” 

Louis examines his buff, examines the colours of all six of his tribemates, and realizes he won’t be with any of them. What are the odds? (Well, Zayn ran the odds, and apparently it was more possible than it seems).

“Good luck guys, I’ll see you later.” He winks and salutes jokingly as he walks backwards towards the Vula mat. As soon as he turns around, he bumps right into Harry, who is heading for the Kalokalo mat. 

Louis doesn’t even look around to see what anybody else is doing. He doesn’t care if they’re interacting between mats or not. He immediately pulls Harry into a hug. 

“Are you okay, babe?” He asks, squeezing Harry’s back like he’s never going to see him again.

Harry pulls away too soon and looks at Louis in the eyes, hands on his shoulders. “I’m okay.” He nods and squeezes Louis’ shoulders before walking past him and not looking back.

Louis, however, does look back. Big mistake. He sucks back any emotion he’s feeling and goes to stand with his new tribemates, all four from the original Vula. He has some work to do. 

“Okay, let’s take a look here,” Jeff announces once everyone is on their new mat. “On the new Waitui, we have three original Waitui, with Perrie, Shawn and Karlie, and we have two original Vula, with Taylor and Luke. On the new Vula, we have four original Vula, with Jade, Paige, Camila and Liam, and only one original Waitui with Louis.”

Louis does a small curtsy. If he’s going to be presented as unlucky and screwed, he’s going to make a show out of it.

“And finally, on our new Kalokalo tribe, we have three original Waitui with Zayn, Niall and Sierra, and we have two original Vula, with Harry and Julia.”

“Jeff, may I ask for a redraw?” Louis asks jokingly.

“Sorry, Louis. I would ask you how you feel about this new tribe, but I suppose that question, along with the hug you shared with Harry says it all.”

“Well, this is definitely about the worst position one could possibly be in…” Louis trails off. “If you’re looking at it from an outsider perspective.”

His tribe laughs. That might not be a good sign.

“Okay, Niall, how does it feel getting to be with Julia?”

“Oh, you have no idea!” Niall throws his arm around Julia’s shoulder, and she tucks herself into his side. “It’s been a long nine days without her.”

Louis looks over at Harry, who is watching from beside them with awe in his eyes. 

“How about you, Karlie? Excited to play with your girlfriend who has played before and can help guide you?”

“Definitely. I’m excited to be able to make decisions together now.” Karlie leans in and presses a kiss to Taylor’s cheek.

_As if you were ever making decisions on your own._

Louis doesn’t like his harsh thoughts, but he knows it when he feels it: he’s jealous. All he wants is to be able to sit next to Harry in the shelter and know how he’s doing. 

_Relax, you just have to find a way to make the merge. Can’t be much longer._

“Alright, Kalokalo, here’s a flint, and a map to your new camp.” Jeff tosses the two items, and Louis watches as Harry reaches out to catch them both.

Harry turns his head towards Louis and smiles before pocketing the flint and following his tribe out.

Louis turns to follow his tribe of four original Vula members, and takes a deep breath. 

At least he has Liam.

**

DAY 11

Louis doesn’t sleep more than five minutes overnight. Their shelter is horribly balanced, and therefore uncomfortable. The only bright side being that it’s rather small, so it was easier to keep warm next to each other. 

Louis wonders if Harry’s new tribe got an adequate shelter built at their new camp. He also misses the items from the comfort win dearly. 

Thankfully, Liam is awake too, and Louis finally gets a chance to speak to him alone. 

“Hey, let’s go fill all the canteens?” Louis whispers, as they both attempt to creep quietly out of the shelter.

“Good idea.” Liam is out first, then reaches out to help Louis down after him. 

They gather the canteens, then Liam leads Louis out to their water well.

“So,” Louis starts. “We’re gonna have to do an information dump.”

“Oh man do we have so much to discuss!” Liam is excited by the prospect of essentially gossiping about other players.

“Okay, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Me, Zayn, Shawn, Niall, Perrie and Lewis worked together on the Ashton vote. But, Niall and Lewis didn’t actually know Zayn was a part of that majority, and Shawn and Perrie see him as a threat.”

Liam nods along as Louis talks expressively. 

“Then, Zayn and I decided Lewis needed to go next. So we planted the idea of a Perrie vote in the minds of Shawn, Niall, and Lewis. Then I gave Perrie the immunity idol I found with Zayn on day one and told her to vote with the girls on Lewis. So our five votes were blocked, three votes on Lewis sent him home, and Zayn and I kept our hands clean with Shawn and Niall.”

“Wow,” Liam breathes out. “That’s insane. You guys were running the show over there.”

“You know it,” Louis winks jokingly as they arrive at the well. “What about you guys? How did you and Harry hold up?”

Liam groans. “Well,” he opens a canteen and hands it to Louis to hold. “We’re still here, so obviously it could have been worse.”

Louis frowns. “What happened?”

“Well, we only went to one tribal so nothing is set in stone regarding who wants to work with who later. But me, him, Camila, and obviously Kaitlin, were on the wrong side of the vote.”

Louis can feel himself lighten up. “Liam, that’s perfect.”

“What?” Liam hands Louis another empty canteen.

“Yeah, I mean think about it. I’m pretty sure Harry and Zayn are going to be fine on the new tribe. They just need to come together with Julia and Niall. Hopefully, if they go to tribal council at all, it will only be once, and Sierra will go. Easy.” Louis claps his hands together emphatically. “And for us, that’s basically the crack I needed. We have Camila. She would jump at the chance to have the numbers to take out Jade or Paige if they were against her in a majority originally.”

Liam’s brow furrows, but he nods in agreement. “You’re right,” he passes Louis the final canteen to fill. “We should be fine.” Then, he perks up even more. “Louis, we’re gonna make the merge!”

Louis shushes him and then laughs silently at his glee. “Come on then,” he turns back in the direction of the camp. “Let’s go sit on the beach and we’ll draw up game plans in the sand.” Louis scoffs.

“Is that…” Liam laughs. “Is that something Zayn did?”

“Yeah. Your boyfriend is incredibly smart, Liam.”

Liam smiles and huffs out a breath. “Sounds like him.”

When they get back to camp and realize the girls are still sleeping, they do exactly that. They go sit on the beach and Louis draws up a diagram for each tribe.

“Okay,” Liam seems confused. “So how many do you think we will merge at?”

“It’s tough to say,” Louis looks down at the numbers. “Either ten or twelve. But given the divide into three tribes of five at fifteen, I would say probably twelve.”

“How do you come to that conclusion?”

“Because,” Louis points to each diagram. “That would mean we are having three tribal councils, which raises the possibility of each tribe losing one person. That would shake things up alliance wise come the merge. People would be betrayed, no matter what.”

“You’re brilliant,” Liam says, and Louis isn’t sure he even realized the words were coming out of his mouth.

“Thanks.” Louis says quickly, before letting that thought settle into Liam’s brain for too long, the same way it did for Louis about Zayn. “Okay, so let’s say we merge at twelve. As long as nothing crazy happens, we should have the four of us together. We would need three more for a majority for the first vote, which could be Niall, Shawn and Perrie. But, if they’re both still around, which I assume they will be, that would give us Camila, Julia and maybe Jade, too.”

“That would secure us a first vote of nine to three.” Liam adds, probably wanting to feel like a part of the thought process. 

“Right, which basically gives us full control. Because think about it. A majority vote would just need seven. So we could also target one of the two couples in that nine, but then keep the majority for the next few votes. We would stay in control until it was just us left, I think.”

“But then,” Liam draws four new circles in the sand. “What happens when it’s just us four left?”

They both go silent. Louis would love to lie and say he hadn’t thought about that. But he knows that at some point, he’s going to need the numbers to pull off a blindside against their biggest allies, including Zayn. And he has to pull it off before they do. The key is timing; it has to be right. 

“We’ll just have to figure it out when we get there, I guess.” 

Louis uses his hands to erase all of their work in the sand. Knows better than to leave behind evidence of strategizing. 

“Hey,” Louis realizes he didn’t cover something important. “Did any of you have an idol? Or, was an idol played at your tribal council?”

“No, nobody played one. And I don’t think anybody found one, either. The mood around here was…” Liam searches for the right word. “A little weird, honestly. It was kind of this constant stand-off. Nobody really left camp because they didn’t want to be called out.”

“Huh,” Louis laughs as he jumps up and brushes himself off. “We’ve got work to do then.”

They split up and scour the island. Louis has already decided that if he finds it again, he’s not going to share it this time. It’s going to be for when he needs it, and he’s going to have to use it correctly. 

Sure enough, Louis finds the idol hidden in the rock wall near the water well. 

“Yes!” He whisper-yells, so Liam doesn’t hear him from wherever he is. He kisses the wrapped idol and shoves it in his pocket. “I’m not using this until the merge. This one’s for me and Harry.” He says to the camera.

He keeps casually searching, until he hears Liam come up behind him.

“Find anything?” Liam asks.

“No,” Louis lies easily. “You?”

“No. Maybe someone did find it,” Liam thinks aloud as they walk back to camp. 

“Wait,” Something in a tree up ahead catches Louis’ eye. “What is that?” Louis asks genuinely, knowing he has the idol in his pocket.

“Louis, you have such a good eye!” 

Liam races ahead, but waits for Louis to catch up, having the decency to allow Louis to grab it, since he was the one who saw it in the first place. 

_Sucker._

“Woah, it’s an idol nullifier.” Louis is overwhelmed with the possibilities. 

“What does it do?”

“Well, it’s tough, actually. When you go to vote, you write down a name and put it in the urn. If that person then plays a hidden immunity idol, it has no power, and any votes for them will still count.” Louis explains, having encountered the advantage in his last season.

“Wow, that is hard since you have to guess correctly. Nice find though!” Liam high-fives Louis, who slips the nullifier into his other pocket.

Louis laughs in his head at his current power. 

It’s just a feeling, but he knows it. 

This game is his for the taking. 

**

DAY 12

For another day off, the five of them decide to spend the day relaxing, which includes yoga on the beach (as per Camila’s suggestion), soaking their muscles in the ocean water (as per Jade’s suggestion, which followed that of Camila’s), and story sharing (Louis can’t remember whose idea that was, just knows that it wasn’t his own). 

“I don’t think I’ve ever stretched this much in my life,” Liam remarks as they’re all standing in a lunge, arms pushing out beside their bodies. 

Camila shushes him. “Focus.”

They continue to follow Camila’s lead until she determines they’re done. Immediately following, they all head out to the water, where Jade suggests they wade out deep enough to float on their backs. 

“It’ll be like a silent meditation,” she explains. “Believe me, you’ll feel so relaxed.”

So Louis does as he’s told. He can’t risk becoming a social pariah for his refusal to participate.

He pushes himself up and spreads his limbs. The water is calm and still; Louis becomes the same. He closes his eyes and allows the warmth of the sun to seep into every inch of his skin. Time continues to pass, and Louis doesn’t notice.

“Louis, hey!” Liam startles Louis out of his current state of mind.

Louis quickly recovers and plants his feet on the bottom of the ocean floor. “Yeah?”

“We’re heading back man. You good?”

“Yeah,” Louis laughs. “Just got really into it, I guess.”

When they get back to the shelter, they drink some water before making themselves comfortable.

Louis finds himself sitting next to Liam so he lays his head in his lap. He hopes nobody thinks they’re too close, but he’s touch starved and he likes Liam so he doesn’t really care.

“So,” Camila says. “I already know lots about these three, but what do you do at home, Louis? Like, what’s a normal day for you?”

“Well, before coming out here, I was working full time as a server for the summer. Then in the fall, I start my first teaching job.”

“Good money in serving,” Jade says.

“No way.” Camila cuts her off. “I’m studying education too, and I work as a waitress on the weekends!”

“Oh, that’s so funny!” Louis says. “What grades do you want to teach?”

“Definitely high school.”

Louis smiles. “Nice, I’m teaching high school, too.” 

“Harry told us he does photography.” Paige states, trying to be part of the conversation as she picks up on a quick bond forming between Louis and Camila.

“Yeah, he does. And he’s so good at it. He’s gonna have his own business, someday.”

“Does he ever do photoshoots of you?” Camila asks with wonder in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Louis answers honestly. “It’s kind of cool, I guess.” 

Louis thinks back to their fake couple photoshoot they had to make their relationship convincing on social media. He remembers his sister, Lottie, asking if they had finally gotten together when he sent her the photos to get her opinion. So it had been convincing, but her wording made Louis wonder if everyone thought they would eventually be together. He remembers the face she made on their video call when he explained that they were just pretending. He’ll actually never forget it.

“No, not just kind of cool,” Camila laughs. “It’s so cool. I remember seeing that photo you posted before coming out here. Or maybe Harry posted it? I can’t remember. All I know is it was so beautiful. Definitely professional quality. The way you were looking at him while he was laughing…” She clutches her hands to her chest. “Beautiful.”

“Yeah, I liked that photo, too. Had to convince him to let me post it. He thought he looked ridiculous.” Louis laughs, then adds quietly, soft enough for only him to hear, “but he could never.” 

“Aww, Louis!” Liam pinches his cheek. “You’re such a sap for your boy.” Apparently Liam could hear, too. 

Louis sighs. “I guess I am.” 

**

DAY 13

Jade comes running back towards the camp. “We’ve got tree mail!” She yells excitedly.

“Well, we’re all here right now, so what does it say?” Camila asks, smile forming on her face.

“Time for an immunity challenge!” Jade announces as her eyes skim through the message.

“I’m actually excited! We’re gonna crush it after yesterday’s stress release.” Paige says.

“Well, we should probably discuss strategy here,” Louis jumps in, knowing that a stress release alone won’t allow them to win the upcoming challenge. “What are all of your strengths?”

“I’m good with puzzles,” Camila says. “Specifically slide puzzles, but I’m good with any.”

“Okay! That’s a good start.” Louis replies. 

_And good to know. Harry is not very good at slide puzzles._

_Focus._

“Which of you girls would be comfortable with being lifted if there’s anything height related? Like, you know, if we have to untie a bag that’s hanging up high?” Louis wants to run through any possible situation for this challenge.

They look at each other before seeming to come to a silent conclusion.

“That would probably be me, again.” Camila says with a shrug.

“Okay, that’s fine. What about you three? What do you all feel comfortable with?” Louis asks.

“Honestly, I feel pretty good with anything. I can swim, I have pretty good balance, I could do a puzzle if necessary. We’ll just have to see what we’re up against.” Jade effectively shuts the conversation down with her final sentence. 

Louis thinks this is a mistake.

**

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff’s familiar voice rings out on the beach. 

The three tribes walk in, Louis’ in the middle, following Harry’s. Louis is leading his tribe, whereas Harry is trailing his. 

Louis can’t stop his eyes from trailing down to Harry’s legs; the natural sway of his hips as he walks, the flexing of his thighs on each step. Louis doesn’t know why he suddenly finds himself so attracted to Harry, though he imagines his too-short-too-tight swim trunks certainly might have something to do with it.

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s immunity challenge? First things first, Vula, gotta take it back again.”

“We hope to get it back again, this time with Louis.” Paige laughs as she hands the statue back to Jeff. 

“Well, you’re gonna have to work hard. For today’s immunity challenge, the first, and only the first team to finish, wins immunity. The two other tribes will attend separate tribal councils, and two of you will become the fourth and fifth people voted out of this game. Second tribe to finish will go to tribal council first, and will stay and watch the tribal council of the last place tribe.”

There is a visible and audible reaction from everyone before Jeff starts to explain the challenge.

“I’ll do the puzzle.” Jade offers.

“Okay, then how about me and Louis dive, and you two run the obstacle course? Is that good?” Liam asks.

“Done,” Paige says. “Go team.”

And they split off into their respective stations. 

Louis didn’t even get a word in. Not that he’s opposed to diving. But he played an extremely similar puzzle in his last season. And he won.

It’s not his fault they were so quick to make decisions. 

“Survivors ready? Go!” Jeff calls from his spot on the beach.

Louis and Liam take off running down their platform simultaneously and split into opposite directions as they dive into the water. 

Louis breaks the surface again, gasping for air, holding the first key, when he sees Liam break the surface holding up the second. They both slide the bracelets onto their wrists, swim quickly back to their platform and clamber up the ladder one after the other.

“Liam and Louis are making quick work of this first portion, both other tribes with only one key so far.” Jeff narrates.

They catch their breath and then take a running start to do it again. They both come up with keys, and begin swimming towards the dry land to pass them off to Camila and Paige. 

“Camila and Paige are blowing through this course!” Jeff yells. “Meanwhile, Waitui and Kalokalo are still working on retrieving the final key!” 

The girls pass the keys off to Jade, who then calmly tries each one in the first lock before moving down, until she has all four puzzle piece bags out of the chests. She dumps all the pieces of the puzzle on her work station and gets started. 

Louis watches as she places one piece, then grabs another and begins to scan the board, before attempting to place it in multiple spots. 

“What is she doing?” Louis mumbles out loud. 

Before they know it, the other tribes are unlocking their puzzle and getting started. Taylor and Julia get to work.

“Vula had a huge lead, but Jade has nothing to show for it! Kalokalo and Waitui are back in this challenge!”

All Louis can do is watch as Taylor slaps her finished puzzle, throws her hands in the air and calls for Jeff. 

“Taylor thinks she has it…” Jeff examines the puzzle quickly. “And she does! Waitui wins immunity! A huge comeback! Vula and Kalokalo, you’re now racing for who goes second at tribal council.”

Louis watches a frantic Jade race to finish. At least she does it.

“Vula has it! They earn the right to go first at tribal council, leaving Kalokalo to go second.”

Harry glances over his shoulder from his spot at the obstacle course, giving Louis a small shrug and a tight-lipped smile. In turn, Louis throws him a thumbs up with his hand planted on the wooden dock, where it isn’t visible to anyone else. 

They all make their way back towards the mats, where Jeff is waiting for them.

“Waitui, here is your immunity. Well-earned. Comes with a night off from tribal council. Kalokalo, I’ll see you tonight, right after I see you, Vula. Grab your stuff, head out.”

**

Louis’ tribe has been silent since they got back to camp. Nobody is saying anything. But Louis is fairly sure that things should be rather simple at tribal council. He knows Jade doesn’t have an idol, so she needs to go. She blew that challenge, it could be an easy vote. He and Liam already have the plan, they just need to get Camila in on it. And that shouldn’t be too difficult.

Eventually, Camila gets up to go get water, and Louis nudges Liam, urging him to go with her. Louis knows it’ll seem less suspicious if Liam talks to Camila, since they were on the original Vula together. If Louis goes, it just looks like he’s desperate to find a crack. But he’s already done that, it’s just up to Liam to fill it. 

The other three stay quiet while they’re gone, and when they get back, they rejoin the silence. 

“I’m gonna go… To the bathroom.” Jade says quietly. Even on an island, they use the word ‘bathroom’. Just feels more civilized that way.

As soon as she’s gone, Paige sighs.

“Is it me tonight?”

Louis is surprised by this, but it certainly provides some leverage.

“Do you want it to be you tonight?” Camila replies before he gets to, and it’s a good thing they were thinking the same thing.

“Of course not!” Paige is genuinely concerned.

“Then I guess you better vote for Jade.” Louis says, giving her some hope. 

**

“So,” Jeff starts at tribal council. “Let’s talk about the challenge today.”

Jade puts her head in her hands.

“That’s a big reaction, and I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Well,” Jade sits up straight again. “It’s clear that I was the one who lost it. And it feels especially bad because Louis had tried to get us to discuss what all of our strengths were and I was the one who basically said it was a waste of time.”

“So you didn’t finish the conversation?” Jeff pries.

“No, we didn’t finish the conversation.” Jade replies sharply, and it’s obvious she doesn’t want to say anything further on the issue. 

“Alright. So has there been other communication…” Jeff trails off. “Problems?”

Everyone looks at each other, eyes scanning for any sort of confidence.

“I mean,” Jeff continues. “Let’s be honest. The four of you had already been together. The only new person here is Louis. Does that complicate things? Make it awkward?”

“No,” Liam replies immediately. “It’s been fine having Louis around.”

“Yes,” Camila agrees. “I personally wish I’d been with Louis this whole time.”

“Wow,” Jeff’s eyes widen almost comically. “That’s a big statement.”

“Yeah,” Jade says, looking towards Camila suspiciously. “It really is.”

“Well, I have to say,” Louis tries to ease the tension. “I’ve enjoyed being with these guys.”

“Well that’s good to hear, since you weren’t too happy about it when we first switched.”

“Of course I wasn’t!” Louis laughs. “I was worried! I was outnumbered bigtime.”

“Past-tense.” Jeff says. “Interesting.”

Louis just shrugs, as if he hadn’t been paying attention to his language.

“Okay, so Liam,” Jeff gestures to him, who is sitting next to Louis in the front row. “How does it feel knowing that Zayn is going to be here right after you?”

“It makes me nervous.”

“But are you nervous about this vote? You have to make it through your own vote first.”

Liam looks to Louis beside him, and then up at the three girls in the second row. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Louis, how about you? Harry is going to be here, too. Does that worry you?” 

“Yeah, I mean, absolutely.” Louis laughs in an attempt to calm the nerves Jeff had surfaced in him. “It’s tough not knowing how he’s holding up in terms of alliances.”

“Well, what about this vote? Nervous?”

Louis does the same as Liam had done. He looks over his shoulder to the three girls in the back row, then over at Liam. “No.”

“Well, let’s get to it then.” Jeff says. “Camila, you’re up.”

When everyone is done, Jeff goes to get the votes, then stands at the podium with the urn and asks if anybody has an idol. Louis knows that none of them do, and he also knows he doesn’t need to play his tonight.

“Alright, I’ll read the votes.”

It’s four against one. Jade had voted for Louis, but everyone else voted for Jade.

“Jade, the tribe has spoken.” Jeff says as he snuffs her torch. 

She turns back to the tribe, looking at Camila and Liam in particular. “Good luck beating him in the end.”

Louis has to bite back a reaction.

_Stop planting ideas in their heads._

Once she’s gone, Jeff turns back to the four of them.

“Well, sometimes all you need to do is find a crack. Alright, you four go take a seat over there. You get to watch the next group.”

Not long after, Kalokalo walks into tribal council. Louis watches as Harry puts his torch down and takes a seat in the top row, between Zayn and Niall.

“So, Harry,” Jeff starts. “How does it feel to see Louis sitting over there, knowing he made it through this vote, even though he was outnumbered by original Vula?” 

Harry looks over to Louis and grins. Louis can feel the heat rising to his cheeks with Harry’s eyes on him like that.

“I mean, it makes me so happy. I’m so proud of him for being able to do all of this again so soon after coming home,” Harry’s voice breaks. 

_Is he crying?_

“Sorry, I don’t know why I’m so emotional, it’s only day thirteen.” Harry wipes at his eyes quickly as Julia turns around in her seat and puts a hand on his knee. “It’s just,” Harry looks over at Louis again. “I saw what this game did to him the first time around. It took so long for him to readjust and I was just so worried for him the whole time. I guess I still am.” 

Liam makes a loose fist and punches Louis lightly in the leg. Meanwhile, Louis is doing everything in his power not to cry; he’s biting his cheek, pinching his thigh. Just doesn’t want to show that emotion. Not yet.

“Zayn, how about you? Did you have trouble readjusting as well?” Jeff asks.

“Yeah, it’s not easy,” Zayn shakes his head. “You know, out here, you’re always wondering if you can trust anybody. Always thinking about people as numbers. So going home after that, it’s psychologically taxing.”

“So let’s talk about tonight’s vote then. Seeing people as numbers. Is it as easy as the three original Vula against the two original Waitui?” Jeff directs the conversation to a much less emotional place, and Louis is thankful, as he can feel tears threatening to spill, out of his control.

He keeps his eyes trained on Harry the whole time. 

“Absolutely not,” Zayn laughs, hands thrown in the air. “Now we’ve got Niall and Julia together, and that makes everything more complex, which is evidently the theme of the season.”

Jeff just nods. “Interesting.”

“Yeah,” Sierra adds. “Because they are absolutely in the power position. You can only assume they’re going to vote together, so for this vote, all they need is one more person, and they have the choice.”

“But would it not be just as easy for the three of you to split them up?”

“Hey,” Niall says. “Don’t give them any ideas!” He laughs, reaching forward to squeeze Julia’s shoulder. 

Jeff laughs too. “Let’s talk about trust, then. Apart from Niall and Julia, do any of you trust one another?”

Everyone stays silent.

“I think,” Harry says.

_Oh no. Be careful with your words, babe._

“I think in this game, you have to trust people. But you have to trust them at the right time. So if I trust someone tonight, I have to hope I’m not wrong. And if it turns out that I’m right, that doesn’t mean I’ll be right if I trust them again later. Trust is always changing.”

_That’s brilliant, Harry._

Harry glances briefly at Louis, who smiles back at him as if to say, “I’m proud of you, too”.

“Wow,” Jeff says. “Big words. Shall we get to the vote?”

Everyone nods.

“Zayn, you’re up first.”

Louis watches anxiously as Jeff goes to the voting area to tally the votes. Harry looks over and shrugs, as if to reassure him.

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Nobody moves, so Jeff proceeds to read the votes. 

“First vote, Sierra.”

“Harry.”

Louis winces. He would hate to watch Harry leave.

“Sierra. That’s two votes Sierra, one vote Harry.”

“Harry. We’re tied. That’s two votes Sierra, two votes Harry. One vote left.”

Louis closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He feels Liam’s hand squeeze his leg quickly.

“Fifth person voted out of Survivor, Sierra. You need to bring me your torch.”

Louis watches as Julia’s head whips around. She glares at Niall, and Louis knows they didn’t vote together. Louis also knows this could cause drama at the merge, assuming they both make it, so he makes a mental note about the fresh crack in their Survivor relationship.

Louis only peels his eyes away from them when he feels Harry’s eyes on his face. Harry puts his hand on his hip and gives him a thumbs up. Louis just smiles back. 

Jeff snuffs Sierra’s torch. “Sierra, the tribe has spoken. Time for you to go.”

Sierra turns around and waves at her group, then to Louis’ as well, with no demonstration of bitterness.

“Alright,” Jeff says once she’s gone. “All of you go get some sleep. Goodnight.” 

Louis picks up his torch and leads his tribe out of the tribal council area. He smiles, knowing he is now one night closer to being with Harry.

**

DAY 14

Louis wakes up before everyone else, as always. He’s still frustrated that everyone seems to be getting proper sleep, somehow. That’s not normal out here. 

_Why can’t they be normal? Or why can’t I be weird like them?_

He makes his way down to the beach and sits in the sand, looking out towards the water.

“What are you doing up at dusk?” Camila’s voice startles him from behind. 

“Oh, Camila. Did I wake you when I was leaving? I’m sorry.” Louis turns around to look at her as she gets closer.

“Nah,” she sits down. “I’m usually also up this early. I just lay in the shelter and close my eyes to pretend I’m still sleeping. Or maybe hoping I’ll fall back asleep.” She laughs. “But you’re always up and out this early. Why?”

Louis looks at her. “I don’t know. I probably haven’t slept more than three or four hours on any given night out here.”

“Well, just wait.” She nudges his shoulder with her own. 

“Wait for what?”

“For the merge,” she replies as though it’s obvious. “The first night you get to sleep next to Harry. I’ll bet you sleep a full eight hours.”

Louis just shakes his head.

“At least.” Camila adds on.

They both laugh. 

“Well, I guess I can hope for that.” Louis sighs.

“You miss him a lot, huh?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” 

“Because it’s obvious, Louis.” Camila puts an arm around his shoulder.

Louis leans into it. “Well, yeah, I do. It’s just different this time. Last season, I was away from him for almost two months. But this time, knowing he’s out here, too…” Louis drags his hand through the sand. “It’s just different.”

“Well, I hope it helps you to know that I feel the same way.”

“About Harry?” Louis pulls away from her embrace and brings a hand up to his mouth in mock horror.

“You idiot. I just mean that it’s weird knowing I’m so close yet so far away from Shawn. It’s hard to let myself trust that he can handle this on his own, which is ridiculous, I know. All I’m trying to say is, don’t worry too much about it. We’re all going through it. Together.” She squeezes Louis’ hand in the sand. 

“Thanks, Camila. You’re right.” Louis laughs. “I feel like a teenager again. Thinking everything I feel is this unique thing that nobody else understands.”

Camila snorts then covers her mouth quickly. “I get that.”

“So, talk to me about Shawn. How did you know he was the one?”

Camila sighs happily and stares out towards the sun rising on the horizon. “It was just all the little things, you know?”

Louis nods along.

“Like when I’m driving and he puts his feet up on the dash and sings along to the radio. Or how he just starts singing on his own when we’re in the kitchen. The way that he is obsessed with making sure the lights are turned off when we don’t need them on.” 

“That’s funny.” Louis laughs.

“Yeah, it’s just those weird little quirks I guess.” Camila shrugs. “How about you? You and Harry lived together before you were in a relationship, right?”

“Uh, yeah, we did. And honestly,” Louis thinks. “It’s kind of the same for me. We just kind of developed this routine together and I learned all of his habits and I learned to love them all. It feels like I know everything about him.”

“Well that’s such a good way to put it,” Camila pauses. “A routine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, learning to live with someone takes hard work, honestly. A lot of compromise. But if you two were able to work through that and have your own way of doing things, together, well that’s what love is, isn’t it?”

Louis looks at Camila as she squints at him. 

A long silence passes between them.

“I guess it is.” Louis finally answers. 

**

“It’s getting kind of cold, could we start a fire now?” Liam asks, crossing his arms and using his hands to rub his biceps.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Louis agrees. “And here, take my sweater.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, man. I’m fine for now.” Louis is actually also cold. Louis is always cold. But he hands over his sweater, anyways. 

“Thanks.” Liam smiles as he wraps it around himself.

Louis nods back. “Well, I’ll go get some more firewood. Anybody wanna join?”

“I’ll come.” Camila offers.

“Great, then Paige and Liam, you two can ration some rice and get some water, yeah?”

They agree, so Louis and Camila head out.

“So, we’ve talked a fair bit about our boys. Now, let’s talk strategy. How do you feel about Liam?”

Louis looks over at Camila. “I feel good about him, yeah. It’s just. It’s gonna suck because I already know Zayn has to go before he does. And I don’t know how he’ll react to that.”

“Zayn is that dangerous, huh?” Camila asks.

“Oh yeah, the man is brilliant. And even if he doesn’t make the most friends out here, he’s eloquent enough to win over a jury for sure.” Louis hasn’t thought much about taking Zayn out since they were separated. But he knows the time will come. 

“So, what’s your ultimate goal here?”

Louis doesn’t hesitate. “To win,” he says seriously. “I came to do what I couldn’t do last time.”

“I get that,” Camila punches him in the arm jokingly. “I mean, in terms of the merge. Would you want to work with both Liam and Zayn for a while? Because before the swap, Liam and Harry were close, and they had me and Julia with them. We also worked with Luke and Taylor.”

“So, you guys controlled the Kaitlin vote?”

Camila bends down to pick up a branch. “Completely.”

Louis knows she’s lying about something. Liam had told him they were on the wrong side of the numbers, That's the whole reason Louis trusted that Camila would vote out Jade. 

But he decides to play along. 

“Okay, so that must mean that Julia didn’t fully trust you guys then, if she felt better with Sierra.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what went down last night, but Julia might be a wild card.”

Louis groans. “This is all so tough because of the couples aspect, you know? Like, is this person going to be so pissed off that I voted out their partner that they refuse to work with me again? Will they be bitter on the jury? There’s so many variables.”

“Hey,” Camila puts her free hand on Louis’ shoulder. “Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

**

The fire is crackling, and above that, the sound of waves crashing to the shore can be heard. 

“I hope that doesn’t mean we’re getting another storm tonight. The last one was vicious,” Paige says. “Definitely enough rain for thirty-nine days honestly.”

Nobody says anything. Everyone knows that the waves are probably signaling another storm. But if they choose to ignore it, they can hope it will go away.

It doesn’t. 

It rains all night. None of them get any sleep.

Louis thinks he should be careful what he wishes for.

**

DAY 15

On the bright side, the rain is done and the sun is shining in the morning. It’s most likely a challenge day, so while they’re all exhausted from a sleepless night, they know it’s better than competing in the rain.

Louis carves another tick into the tree to keep track of how many days they’ve been on the island. “We’ve officially made it past the two week mark!”

He walks away from the tree and turns to face everyone. “Also, I think if we have a challenge today, it’ll just be for reward.”

**

“Come on in, guys!”

Everyone walks in, with the winning tribe of the last challenge first, followed by Louis’ tribe, then Harry’s.

“Waitui, getting your first look at the new Vula and Kalokalo tribes. Jade and Sierra voted out at the last tribal councils.”

Louis watches as Perrie shakes her head at him. She had probably hoped it would be Louis who left, seeing as he was completely outnumbered on that tribe. The last person she expected to go was her girlfriend. 

Luke looks mostly unfazed. 

Louis draws his attention back to Jeff. It’s time to focus.

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s reward challenge?”

Louis smirks, loving the feeling of knowing he was right in his guess earlier that morning. 

“For today’s challenge, the first and only the first team to finish, wins reward.”

Jeff explains the challenge, which simply involves carrying a heavy circle with a slightly heightened rim, and transporting water across an obstacle course to be the first team to fill their bucket on the other side. 

“Wanna know what you’re playing for?”

Everyone’s eyes are directed towards the stand, and Jeff removes the cloth. There’s an audible reaction from everyone.

“Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with a glass of milk to wash it all down.”

Louis knows they need this. Mostly, Louis needs this. Liam, Camila and Paige were all on the original Vula, who won eggs and chickens. Louis, however, hasn’t eaten anything but rice and extremely small amounts of fish for the last two weeks. 

“Alright, Waitui, you’ve got an extra person, who’s gonna sit out?”

Perrie raises her hand. And Louis _knows_ this strategy. Perrie is strong, but by sitting out, it won’t be her fault if they lose. Plus, she’ll get to save energy for the next immunity challenge, which she will have no choice but to compete in.

“Alright, Perrie, take a spot on the sit-out bench. Everybody else, I’ll give you a minute to strategize, then let’s get started.”

“Okay, I know most people would think spreading out evenly is the best strategy,” Louis explains to his tribe as they huddle together. “But look at how narrow those beams are. We can’t cross those with two people going sideways, and two going either backwards or forwards.”

“So what are you thinking?” Camila asks.

“We need to go two and two, right next to each other. We all have to go sideways. It’ll take a lot of balance, but that’s gonna be the best way.”

“Alright,” Liam says. “Let’s get it done then.”

**

And they do get it done. 

“Vula! Wins reward!” Jeff calls with his hands thrown in the air once their banner drops, signaling they got enough water in their bucket..

Louis jumps up and down with his tribe in excitement and Liam catches him, jostling him around a bit before planting him back on his feet. Once they all calm down, everyone lines up on the mats again.

“Niall, you’re eyeing these sandwiches as if they’re the love of your life.” Jeff comments.

Julia laughs from next to him, and that seems to snap Niall out of his trance.

“Yeah, just figured if we didn’t win, at least I can look at them.”

Jeff laughs. “Alright, Vula. Time for a twist.” 

Liam groans from beside Louis, who hasn’t yet processed what Jeff said.

Louis looks over to Harry and shrugs lightly when their eyes meet.

“You can either choose to go back to camp where a plate full of sandwiches, like this, will be waiting for you, or,” Jeff pauses, and reaches under the podium where he’s standing. 

Louis’ eyes follow Jeff’s hands as he places two covered items on the table on either side of the plate. 

“Or,” Jeff removes the cloth to reveal two empty plates. “You can decide to share the joy, and allow each tribe to go back with the same amount. Meaning, your plate would be the exact same as theirs.” Jeff transfers one third of the sandwiches to one of the empty plates, and another third to the other.

“Absolutely.” Louis says, without hesitation, looking steadfastly at Jeff.

“You’re not even going to consult your tribe?” Jeff asks.

“I mean,” Louis looks beside him. “I think we’re all on the same page here. We should all eat.” He watches as Camila and Liam nod from beside him and breathes a sigh of relief that he didn’t just kill any chance he had at making the merge, even.

“Paige? Everyone else is nodding, but you don’t seem too impressed.”

All eyes turn to Paige.

“Well, I understand where they’re coming from because they all still have their partners here. So Louis wants to feed Harry, obviously. And these two follow blindly because Shawn and Zayn are still here, too. But Lewis isn’t. So I have no reason not to be selfish. And I don’t think Louis considered that.”

“Okay,” Jeff drags out. “But with what you just said, you realize you’re outnumbered then?”

“Well, I think group decisions should be unanimous.” Paige replies sharply. 

“Well, I think you just sealed your fate on this tribe.” Louis hears Camila whisper to Paige, and his head snaps towards Paige just in time to see the red rushing to her cheeks. 

“Sorry, Paige. Unfortunately, that’s not always how this game works. Your tribe had a leader speak up for everyone, and his decision stands.” Jeff says, and Paige is still staring at the sand.

“Thank you, Louis.” Harry calls with a smile on his face, and immediately after, Louis is being showered in thanks from those on the other tribes. 

Liam pats Louis on the back, as if to show his full support in Louis’ decision.

“Alright, then. Everyone head back to camp, where sandwiches and some cold milk will be waiting for you.”

Everyone cheers.

Louis looks at Harry, who shoots him finger guns. _Finger guns._ Louis laughs at him, but plays along and shoots them back, winking for extra effect. 

Camila observes this interaction and squints judgmentally at Louis. She punches his arm lightly, and then pushes him along. 

When they get back to camp, they find their reward waiting for them.

“You did a good thing, Louis.” Camila says, as she takes her share of one sandwich and passes the plate to Liam.

“Now all of our boys get to eat a little, too,” Liam adds. “Besides, who knows how they’re doing over there on rice and fishing and whatnot.” 

Paige says nothing as she takes her sandwich from the plates. She hands Louis the plate, and Louis takes the fourth and final sandwich.

“Mm,” Louis sighs into the sandwich as he takes his first bite. “This is amazing.”

“After two weeks of pretty much just rice,” Liam takes another bite, then with his mouth full, he adds, “so good.” 

When they’re all finished their sandwiches, they each take a glass of milk.

“Cheers, guys!” Louis raises his glass and everyone follows suit. 

“Cheers!”

**

DAY 16

Louis wakes up from his few hours of sleep with the strong sense that it will be a day without a challenge of any sort. So he rolls over and closes his eyes to sleep for a little while longer. 

He doesn’t end up falling back asleep, but he does pretend long enough that everyone else gets up and leaves the shelter after waking up. Once he’s alone, Louis opens his eyes and rolls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling of the shelter. 

_Only one more person goes home before the merge. And it’s gotta be Paige._

Louis didn’t come back to this game with the intention of ever throwing a challenge. But honestly, he needs Paige to go. If she makes the merge, she will absolutely wreak havoc. 

_We need to lose the immunity challenge tomorrow._

Does he tell Liam? He probably wouldn’t consider telling Camila. They’re close, but not that close. 

_But Liam?_

Could he trust him enough? Would it become obvious if more than one person was involved? 

_I’ll just do it myself._

_Okay, so if I throw this challenge, who makes the merge and will work with me? Me and Harry. Zayn and Liam. Camila and Shawn. Niall and Julia. But Julia is a maybe._

_Perrie? Maybe not after we voted out Jade._

_That leaves Taylor and Karlie, who I probably won’t want to work with._

_But that’s only eleven. Who am I missing?_

_Luke._

_If I don’t throw the challenge, that leaves either one of those three to go home, or somebody I want in the majority with me._

_I don’t like those odds._

“Hey, Louis,” Liam startles Louis out of his strategic thinking. “Didn’t realize you were awake.”

“Yeah, just been relaxing.” Louis chuckles. 

“So, what are you thinking about?”

“What?”

“Come on,” Liam laughs. “You’re obviously thinking strategy. I don’t think there has been a single day I’ve woken up and you were still laying here.”

“Okay, fine,” Louis admits. “You got me. I was thinking ahead to the merge.”

“Again?” 

Louis sighs. “Yeah, I guess I’m just still concerned about that crack with Niall and Julia.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Liam sits by Louis’ feet. “We’ll figure it out when we get there. Besides, somebody else still has to go home before the merge if you’re right about twelve.”

_And that’s what Louis needs to control._

“Come on, let’s go wash up in the ocean,” Liam pats Louis on the leg. “You stink, man.”

Louis can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, probably.”

**

Louis is sitting around the fire with Liam and Camila. Paige is off somewhere, excluding herself from everyone else, as she has been doing since the reward debacle of the previous day. 

“Paige is driving me crazy.” Camila blurts out, and before either of the boys can say anything, she adds, “I know she’s not even talking to us. Just her presence is annoying me at this point.”

Louis snorts but recovers quickly. “Yeah, I definitely made an enemy with that move.”

“She can get over it. You did a good thing.” Liam replies.

“Exactly,” Camila agrees. “Plus, we don’t need her for numbers anyways.”

_But if she makes the merge, I’m probably down a jury vote. I do need her for numbers, just not the kind you’re thinking of._

“That’s true.” Louis says simply. 

“Maybe that’s why she’s bitter, actually. We all voted together for Jade, so she knows that we’ll work together later and we all have our partners. She knows she’s screwed.” Camila explains. 

_At least I know that if I throw the challenge, it’ll definitely be Paige who goes._

“I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.” 

**

DAY 17

“Tree mail!” Camila calls, as she returns to camp.

Louis and Liam cheer half jokingly and Paige remains seated in the shelter. 

Camila reads the cheesy poem, and it’s clear they’re looking at an immunity challenge today.

_Just make it through today. Get it done. Merge tomorrow._

“Probably the last one before the merge, right?” Camila asks.

“Yeah, probably.” Louis shrugs, acting as though he isn’t completely confident in that fact.

“Well, let’s go out there and crush it then!” Liam yells excitedly, and Louis plays along as Camila joins in with some of her signature dancing. 

They all dance and laugh together, and Louis looks over to Paige, who still looks miserable sitting all alone. For a brief moment, Louis considers being a good person and asking her if she wants to join in their fun.

But then his brain reverts back to game mode.

_Enjoy your last day._

**

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff calls, and they all walk in, in the same orderly way as always. “Are you guys ready to get to today’s immunity challenge?” 

Everyone nods in excitement, examining the course in the field.

“First thing’s first, Waitui, gotta take it back.”

Perrie walks the statue over to Jeff.

“Thank you. Alright, for today’s challenge, you’re going to work your way through a series of obstacles, collecting two bags at each stop. Once you have all ten bags, you’re going to use the pieces inside to complete a puzzle.”

Everyone nods along as Jeff finishes explaining. 

“The first,” Jeff pauses. “And the second team to finish,” he continues, as he unveils a second, smaller immunity idol. “Also wins immunity, and will be safe from tonight’s vote. Last team to finish will go to tribal council where one of you will be the sixth person voted out of this game.”

Louis looks over to Harry’s tribe, where Harry is looking down at the sand. 

_Is he worried it would be him next?_

Louis thinks about Zayn’s game strategy. 

_Would Zayn flip on Harry just to avoid a deadlock against Niall and Julia? Maybe. It’s probably not worth going to rocks for._

“In addition,” Jeff continues. “The first team to finish also wins reward. Wanna know what you’re playing for?”

This catches everyone’s attention.

Jeff pulls out a bottle of shampoo. 

Outright moaning from nearly everyone. 

“Winning team will find a hot shower waiting for them back at camp. Complete with soap, shampoo, conditioner, loofahs, face cloths, moisturizers, and towels. Worth playing for?”

“Yes!” Everyone calls out together.

_Goodbye, hot shower. I would have loved a good shower._

“Alright, let’s get to it. Waitui, you’ve got one extra player, Perrie, you have to play. So, who’s gonna sit out?”

Karlie volunteers.

“Alright Karlie, take a spot on the sit-out bench. Everyone else, I’ll give you a minute to strategize, then let’s get started.”

Liam suggests that they designate two people to retrieve the bags and two people to carry them afterwards.

Louis agrees. It’ll probably be the easiest way for him to secretly throw this challenge.

“Playing for immunity and reward. Survivors ready? Go!” 

Louis’ team makes their way towards the first obstacle, where Liam and Camila quickly untie the first two bags at varying heights on the ladder. They throw them up to where Louis and Paige are waiting for them. Once they’re all at the top of the structure, they begin to cross the beams.

“Vula, in an early lead, moving on to the second obstacle already.” Jeff narrates.

Camila jumps up to grab hold of the bar above their head, with Paige standing beside her, ready to make sure she lands back on the beam once she has the bag untied. On the opposing beam, Liam does the same, with Louis standing nearby.

“Kalokalo and Waitui, catching up to Vula quickly.”

As soon as Jeff announces how close it is, Louis and his tribe are moving across the high beams and sliding down the water slide. 

Next, they have to dig through the sand to get all of them under a low pole. And as they dig, they will find two bags in the sand. Liam is doing the digging, when Louis looks beside him to see Harry’s tribe catching up. He watches as Harry drops to his knees and starts digging in the sand. 

“Got them!” Liam calls, as he pushes the second bag through to the other side, before twisting his body to get under the pole. Camila follows, then Louis and Paige last, to pick up the bags. 

“Vula is maintaining a small lead, but once again, Kalokalo and Waitui are not far behind.”

After working through the last two obstacles, Louis’ tribe arrives at the puzzle station not long before both other tribes.

“We’ve got a challenge!” Jeff calls excitedly. “All tribes are in this.”

Everyone is working on untying bags, and everyone has such laser focus that Louis doesn’t even have to be that subtle when he takes one bag and lets it drop in the sand, tossing it under the table.

With such a close race, this setback should hopefully give the other two teams enough time to figure out the puzzle and finish it before the others even realize they have a bag missing. 

Louis and Camila begin to place pieces, with Paige and Liam mostly being in the way and messing up the order, shuffling around pieces that they had organised.

Camila turns to yell at Paige when they hear it.

“Kalokalo thinks they have it,” Jeff runs over to their puzzle station. “And they do!” Jeff throws his hands in the air. “We’re looking for one more.”

Louis doesn’t have the time to look over at Harry while he celebrates, because Liam is suddenly realizing they’re short puzzle pieces.

“Guys, we’re missing a bag.”

“What?” Louis acts shocked, before turning around to look behind him, then ducking down low. “I found it!” He scrambles under the table to retrieve the bag as Camila continues to place pieces. They’re definitely catching up to Waitui, so if Louis takes a little longer than it should to open the bag and dump the pieces on the table, then that’s for him to know.

“Okay, perfect, almost there.” Camila repeats like a mantra. And Louis almost feels bad. 

But when Jeff calls it, that feeling goes away.

“Waitui has it! Sending Vula to tribal council!” 

Louis pats them all on the shoulder as he looks at Harry, who is eyeing him suspiciously. Louis just shrugs and sends him a half-smile. 

“Alright, Kalokalo, come and grab it.” Everyone pushes Harry to go collect the statue, and Louis can see a dimple pop out from where he’s standing.

“Hot showers waiting for you.” Jeff turns to Waitui. “And a well earned second place,” Jeff walks the statue over, where Taylor takes it from him. “Second place is enough for another night off from tribal council.”

Paige kicks at the sand beneath them before Jeff even turns to them.

“Vula, I’ll see you tonight. Everybody grab your stuff and head out.”

**

“So,” Camila says back at camp once Paige disappears to go who-knows-where; probably looking for an idol that she’ll never find. “It was a fluke basically that cost us that win, but it’s clear what needs to happen here, right?” 

Louis nods, but Liam doesn’t react.

“Easy vote, right?” Camila clears her throat to clarify.

“Yeah.” Liam says softly.

**

“Hey, Louis, what would you think about going for Camila?” Liam says to Louis when they’re finally alone just before heading to tribal council. 

“Liam, I agree. She needs to go. But not yet,” Louis replies quickly. He can’t have Liam ruin this for him. He threw the challenge, and the plan was not to take out Camila. “We need her for now.”

“But that just keeps another couple in the game.”

“Yes, but for now, that’s what we need. If we cut her now, we lose Shawn’s trust in the merge. And the fact is, we don’t know what Julia is gonna do. So that would put together six of them. We wouldn’t have a clear majority.”

Liam stays silent.

“We’re on the same page here, right?” Louis asks, panicking a little.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Liam finally answers. “I just thought that might be a big move.”

“And it will be!” Louis assures him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It will be _your_ big move. Just, we need to time it right, okay?”

“Okay.” 

**

Louis is the last to set his torch down, then takes a seat between Liam and Camila. 

“So,” Jeff starts. “Let’s talk about today. It was a close challenge, one of the closest we’ve seen, but a simple mistake cost you your lead. What happened?”

“Well,” Louis takes the lead, so he can control the story. “It really was a simple mistake. There were a lot of bags getting thrown around, so somebody must have just accidentally dropped one they thought was empty, I guess.”

“I see.” Jeff replies, definitely knowing what actually happened, but not allowed to say it outright. “Well, you guys are down to four. How is tonight’s vote going to look? Was there scrambling back at camp?”

Camila laughs. “I wouldn’t say that. But I do think Paige went to look for an idol, so she must have been a little paranoid.”

Jeff’s eyes widen. “Should she be? She’s the only one here without a partner on another tribe.”

“I think my paranoia is justified.” Paige answers before Camila can. “These three voted together on the Jade vote, and told me to vote for Jade if I didn’t want to go home. That obviously left me on the outs. And I don’t think any of them are planning on flipping to work with me.”

“But you didn’t even try!” Louis can’t bite his tongue anymore. “You haven’t said a single thing to any of us in two days.” 

“Does this have anything to do with the reward decision?” Jeff pries. 

“Absolutely,” Liam jumps to defend Louis. “That’s the moment she stopped talking to us. I guess she still thinks it was wrong to do a good thing?” 

“Well, sounds like tonight’s vote is pretty straightforward, according to everyone.”

“I guess we’ll see.” Liam says, and Louis’ neck nearly snaps when he turns to look at him.

“With that,” Jeff continues on as if that wasn’t a huge statement. “It is time to vote. Liam, you’re up.”

Liam looks back at Louis and nods at him before heading towards the stairs. 

Louis is suddenly nervous. 

_Is it me? Am I getting played by everyone here?_

After everyone casts their vote, Jeff retrieves the urn and returns.

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and wants to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Louis will not let his paranoia cause him to flush an idol. He doesn’t want to go home with it in his pocket, but he trusts Liam and Camila. Should he? 

“Alright, I’ll read the votes.”


	4. the merge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone comes together !!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you're ready for harry and louis to finally get to play together !!!

DAY 18

Louis wakes up in a better mood than usual. He decides he must have slept longer than he normally does.

At tribal council last night, Louis had a moment of fear. But when they got back to camp, the three of them sat down and had a good talk. There was no anger at his momentary lapse of trust, the two of them had simply wanted to make sure he understood that they were on his side going into the merge. 

Understand that they need each other.

They had a fire, cooked some rice, and then went to bed hoping today would bring a merge and the feast that comes with it. 

“Are either of you awake?” Liam asks, without moving from his spot in the shelter.

“I am.” Louis answers quietly.

“Yeah,” Camila pipes up. “Me too.”

“Do you think we’re going to merge today?”

“I really, really hope so.” Louis says, rolling over, away from where he was pressed against Camila’s back. He stares up at the cover of their shelter. “And I really hope it’s at the original Waitui camp. I miss those comfort items.”

Liam and Camila both laugh.

“You know it’s gonna be at Kalokalo, right?” Camila asks.

And she’s probably right.

“Shh,” Louis stretches out an arm and hits her playfully. “I have a few more hours to pretend.”

**

“Come on in, guys!” Jeff calls, and everyone marches in, the same way as always.

Louis looks around and realizes there’s no challenge set up. He feels a burst of excitement rippling through him, and he can’t control the smile growing, so he tries to cover it with his hands before Jeff can notice. 

“Louis.”

_Too late. Jeff noticed._

“What are you so giddy about?”

“Nothing!” Louis blurts out. “Just happy to see you, Jeffrey.” 

Everyone laughs.

“Are you happy to see me because you think you know what I’m going to say?”

“Oh, Jeff,” Louis acts flattered. “You know me so well.”

“Alright, Louis. What do you think I’m about to say here?” Jeff stands with his hands on his hips.

Louis does a little curtsy before gesturing to where Jeff is standing. “May I?” 

Jeff looks at him for a moment, then sighs and says, “I suppose.”

Louis runs over to stand next to Jeff and quickly imitates his posture. He locks eyes with Harry, before pulling out his best Jeff Probst impression. 

“Everybody,” he pauses dramatically. “Drop your buffs.”

“And why is that, Louis?” Jeff asks, allowing him to continue.

“We are merged!” Louis throws his own buff into the air.

Jeff pats him on the back and Louis knows when he’s overstayed his welcome. He watches everyone else throw their buffs in the air, just as he had before. As everyone gathers together, greeting each other with hugs, Louis marches towards the outer edge of where the group is forming, where Harry is standing, just waiting for him.

Louis starts to run. He takes off quick enough that when he reaches Harry, his arms are thrown around Harry’s neck, and his feet are lifted off the ground. Harry holds tight around his waist and spins him around once before putting him down. 

Louis never wants Harry to let go. He’s got one hand gripped on the back of Harry’s head, and the other wrapped around his shoulder. 

But Harry pulls away. He keeps his hands held firmly on Louis’ hips. Louis looks right into his eyes, but Harry breaks their eye contact. He turns his head to look at everyone else, then comes back to hold Louis’ gaze again. 

Louis was simply looking at Harry. Just examining all the features of his face, a face he missed seeing up close for the last seventeen days. He was taking in the smell of his freshly washed hair, something floral and warm maybe, like a load of clothes fresh from the dryer, with the lingering odor of yesterday’s shower. His heartbeat speeds up as he continues to take Harry in, in every way possible. He runs his hands down his shoulders and along his arms, smooth like a hard candy you’ve had in your mouth for too long. 

And then it was Harry’s mouth on his, and suddenly the only thing Louis knew was that he was kissing him back. In his mind, there was no other option. Louis feels his entire being shake, recognizing in the moment that he will never be the same again. Harry’s mouth remains insistent, and Louis holds onto his forearms as though he’s the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. 

When Harry pulls back, he keeps his hands exactly where they are, resting on Louis’ hips, and Louis doesn’t dare move a muscle, either. 

“I have to tell you a secret.” Louis whispers, looking up through his eyelashes at Harry. 

Harry maintains a serious demeanor, breathing heavily as his eyes scan Louis’ face. “What is it?”

“I haven’t brushed my teeth in almost three weeks.”

Harry laughs so hard, he throws his head back, and Louis is overwhelmed by the desire to kiss the soft skin of his neck. 

But then he remembers where he is. So instead of indulging himself, he guides Harry towards the rest of their new tribemates and splits off from him to greet everyone individually. 

Louis would like to believe that nobody witnessed that moment; that the kiss was just for him and Harry. But Louis also knows better. Harry is playing a role that Louis forced him into. 

_And in a few months, it will be broadcasted to millions of people on their televisions._

“Nice to see you again, Taylor.” Louis says as he wraps one arm around her shoulder in a quick hug. 

“You too, Louis.”

Louis moves towards Shawn. “Glad to be back with you.” He pats him on the back.

“What about me?” Niall scoffs from beside Shawn. 

“Yeah,” Louis laughs. “Obviously you too, Nialler.”

As everyone settles, Louis stands next to Shawn and feels Harry squeeze his way between them.

“Sorry,” he says softly. “Couldn’t wait.” Harry bends his knees slightly to wrap his arms around Louis’ waist, and Louis reaches his arm up and around to rest on Harry’s hunched over back.

Everyone is quiet.

“Harry.” Jeff says.

Louis feels Harry shift slightly. 

“Yes, Jeff?”

“You can’t even let go of Louis?”

“No!” Harry practically yells. “I don’t know how everyone else is doing it! Just standing next to their partner. I wish I had their self control. But I don’t,” he sounds desperate. “And I missed Louis.”

Louis slides his hand from Harry’s back to his side, causing Harry to squirm imperceptibly to everyone except Louis. 

“I’ll take it,” Jeff replies, then turns to look at someone else. “Shawn.”

Louis turns his head to see Niall slap Shawn on the back at the same time as Shawn wraps an arm around Camila. 

“Yeah?”

“How are you feeling? Excited? Or intimidated?”

“A little bit of both, if I’m being honest.” Shawn laughs. “This girl here is a powerhouse. I’m not sure how I feel about getting caught up in that.”

Everyone laughs.

“Alright, guys. Let’s get you some new buffs. Your merged tribe name is Siga. You’ll be heading out to live at the Kalokalo camp.” Jeff carries over a basket with wrapped buffs, but this time, they will all be the same colour.

And Louis can breathe. 

“Ooh, purple.” Harry comments as he finally lets go of his hold on Louis. “How pretty.”

Before Louis can even reply, Jeff is telling them to head out and enjoy the day.

Louis and Harry walk along with everyone else, joined at the hip.

**

“Congratulations,” Taylor reads the sign out loud. “You’ve made the merge!” She exclaims gleefully.

Everyone looks at the feast in front of them with awe. There’s bread and crackers and fruit of all kinds. There’s a dessert platter with cookies and brownies, along with empty glasses waiting to be filled by the many bottles of wine. 

“Hell yeah!” Niall calls out suddenly, and this causes everyone to join in cheering and hugging once again.

“This is so exciting.” Perrie says to everyone, and Louis almost pities her for having lost Jade. The only other person in the merge without their partner is Luke, but he seems to be dealing with it just fine. 

“Okay yes obviously I agree that this is amazing and so exciting and everything but we should eat.” Liam says in all one breath. 

“Yes!” Louis points at Liam who is standing on the opposite side of the table as him. 

“Okay, then let’s sit down around the table.” Zayn slides into the circle around the table and sits down next to Liam, everyone else following along and taking a seat on the ground. 

Louis reaches for a bun and offers it to Harry beside him, who happily takes it from his hands. Louis watches as he rips off a chunk and pops it into his mouth. Harry closes his eyes as he chews, and Louis leans in close, nose tucked into the crook of Harry’s neck, unable to help himself.

“You smell so good, Haz.”

Harry rips off another piece of bread and holds it out in front of Louis’ mouth, and Louis takes it into his mouth without a hint of reluctance. 

Louis’ mind flashes back to a night out they had before leaving for Fiji. 

_Don’t worry, the merge feast can be very romantic._

“Should we crack into this wine and make a toast?” Camila asks suddenly, interrupting Louis from his thoughts. 

“I think that’s a brilliant idea.” Perrie tilts her glass towards the centre of the table where the wine sits, waiting for someone to fill it for her.

Camila grabs a bottle of wine and pours a little into her own glass as well as those immediately surrounding her. She then passes the bottle across the table to Louis, who fills everyone else’s glass, just a little bit each at first, emptying the first bottle. 

“Alright,” Camila says, raising her glass. “Well here’s to being out here with the loves of our lives,” she leans into Shawn, who smiles meekly at the statement. “And also to new friendships,” she looks directly at Louis. 

“I would also like to say,” Harry speaks up from beside Louis. “I hope I’m speaking for all of us when I say that us new players are thankful for the opportunity to be out here. None of you had to agree to come back out here and do this again but yet, here we are.”

Louis smiles at the boy next to him. “I’m glad you feel that way, babe.” And he can’t resist leaning over to press a gentle kiss just under Harry’s ear. 

_It’s just pretend. Just for show._

Harry starts to giggle as he tilts his head towards where Louis is pressing his lips. 

“Okay, my turn,” Zayn says. “First of all, you two are disgusting.”

Everyone laughs and Louis can feel his skin heating up, and suddenly he’s torn. He feels like he’s crossed a line with Harry today, but he also knows that they have to act like they fit in with everyone else. He leans his body away from Harry and doesn’t dare look up, even when he can feel Harry’s inquisitive eyes on him.

“I just want to say that I’m happy it’s this group of people that made it to this point,” he pauses. “And I look forward to kicking all of your asses respectfully so we can stay friends after.”

“Cheers!” Liam calls and everyone does the same, clinking their glasses together with anyone they can reach. 

Louis finally turns back to Harry after interacting with people on the other side of him. “I’m excited,” he stops to think carefully about his next words, then decides to go with something humorous. “For Zayn to kick both of our asses.”

Harry laughs that beautiful laugh, then stops to add, “respectfully.”

They clink their glasses together and then keep their eyes locked as they sip their wine. 

Louis reaches for another bun and eats it quietly as he listens to Harry conversing with Liam and Julia. Beside them, Niall is talking loudly to Shawn and Camila. 

Louis nudges Harry lightly with his elbow.

“Yeah?”

“You should keep eating, darling.”

Harry turns his full attention to Louis. “I know,” he sighs. “I just feel like I’m gonna get sick.” 

“Well,” Louis chuckles as he reaches for the freshly opened bottle of wine. “You definitely will get sick if you don’t eat enough while you’re drinking.”

Harry grins. “I like the way you think.” He holds his glass up for Louis to refill it. 

“So, Louis,” Perrie says, her voice booming over everyone else, sending them all into a quick silence. “At our first tribal council, you were talking about how you didn’t want to come across as a lovesick puppy. How do you think that’s working out for you now?”

_Wow, so she’s really bitter._

The silence that follows is a new kind of silence; it’s of the awkward sort. Nobody wants to say anything. Louis doesn’t even want to answer that.

“Well,” Louis knows he can’t let anyone else jump in to rescue him from this ridiculousness. “That was a different time. But this is our first day being all together, so let’s just let everyone be happy to be reunited, yeah?”

That effectively silences Perrie. Louis knows he has work to do to reconcile their relationship. And if he can’t fix it, he needs to be sitting at the end with her. Otherwise, she’s a lost vote on the jury. 

Louis takes a long sip of his wine. Around him, he can hear everyone start to chatter again. He watches Harry take a pineapple slice and eat it slowly while he talks to Taylor. He listens in to the conversation about jobs between Luke and Liam. 

Louis just sits back to observe. He looks over to Harry again, only to find he’s already looking at him. When their eyes meet, Harry just smiles before turning back around to start a new conversation with Shawn. Louis watches Harry articulate himself, and seamlessly fit in with everyone around the table.

And Louis feels lucky. 

**

“I’m probably gonna be full for the next three days.” Zayn says while they’re all sitting around the fire.

“Ugh,” Harry groans. “And I’m definitely gonna be hungover for the next three days.”

“Wow. That’s on you, Louis.” Liam laughs.

“Yeah, probably,” he replies casually, placing a hand on Harry’s hunched over back. “But at least we’ll be hungover together.”

**

“Lou?” Harry whispers in the dark. 

“Yeah, I’m right here.” Louis takes hold of Harry’s wrist as gently as possible to help guide him towards an empty place in the shelter.

Everyone else had gone to bed rather early, being overcome with tiredness after eating a large portion of the food from the feast. Louis and Harry are the last to enter the shelter for the first night sleeping as a group, leaving them to find space after everyone else has already settled in and claimed spots.

Louis moves his hand from Harry’s wrist to his hip, carefully leading him to the far side of the shelter. 

Harry lays down next to Louis, faces mere inches apart. “Can I sleep with you?”

Louis didn’t think that would be a question Harry should feel the need to ask after having spent almost three weeks apart. Yet, in the dark, Louis can make out Harry’s big eyes and trembling lip.

“Of course, babe. I’m right here.”

Harry rolls over and slides himself back towards Louis, tangling their ankles together. “I missed you so much.”

Louis drapes his arm around Harry’s middle and tucks his knees behind Harry’s. “You have no idea.”

Harry sighs rather loudly, but then quiets his voice as he whispers, “you know the goal is probably going to be to split up all the couples, right? Nobody wants a couple to sit at the end together.”

“Shh,” Louis presses his lips to the delicate skin of Harry’s bare back, just barely enough to be noticed. “We can talk about it later.”

Harry just hums.

“But I haven’t actually seen you for about three weeks, so for now, I’d really like to just hold you, if that’s okay.”

Louis wraps his arm tighter around Harry’s waist, trying to get impossibly closer, and for just a moment, Harry goes limp in his arms. But then with one quick movement, he’s rolling over to face Louis again.

Louis can’t see well in the dark, and he definitely doesn’t see it coming when Harry surges forward to kiss him again.

It’s too rough and too aggressive and nothing like the first kiss they shared earlier. 

But Louis thinks he loves it all the more for that reason. 

Louis can taste the wine in Harry’s mouth and it reminds him of when he smelled the wine on his breath in the restaurant all those weeks ago. He brings a hand up to Harry’s cheek and swipes his thumb under his eye gently as he pulls away.

Harry whines and leans forward one more time. Soft and slow. Gentle and chaste. 

Louis releases a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding when Harry rolls back over as if nothing ever happened.

“I love you, Lou.” Harry says quietly. “Isn’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”

Harry’s chest starts to rise and fall rhythmically. Louis can feel Harry’s breath go steady. Meanwhile, he can’t seem to catch his own.

“Not even close.”

**

DAY 19

Louis wakes up with Harry in his arms. He looks out of the shelter to see the sun has already risen. He smiles to himself, and looks over to where Camila is laying, to find her smiling at him, too.

_She was right. I finally got a full night of sleep._

He looks back at Harry, still sleeping soundly, their legs a tangled mess. Louis tries to slowly break away from Harry without waking him.

“Lou?”

“I’m just gonna go get us some water.”

“No,” Harry groans. “Not yet.” Harry adjusts so he’s looking right at Louis. 

“Ha-”

“Stay a little longer,” he whispers softly, as he traces his fingers lightly along Louis’ arm. “Please.”

Louis looks at Harry. Feels his skin on fire everywhere Harry’s body is touching his, from his fingers to his feet. “Okay.”

**

“I’m so glad we decided to save some of this food.” Niall says, as he picks up the basket of cookies to pass around to everyone.

“Me too.” Liam agrees, as he takes a cookie and passes the basket along.

Louis silently grabs two cookies, one for him and Harry each, then walks down to the beach where Harry is laying in the sand.

“Hey.” Louis says awkwardly as he approaches from behind.

“Hey, come lay down.” Harry pats the sand beside him lazily. 

Louis sits down and hands a cookie to Harry before laying down next to him.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Harry asks, after a long silence while they eat slowly, savouring every bite. 

“Yeah.” 

Another long silence.

“Harry,” Louis sighs. “We should probably go back. We need people to be on our side and we can’t do that if they think we’re hiding away from them.”

“Well, right now, that’s what I want to do. Hide away from them. Just for this moment.”

Louis says nothing. 

“I just want to watch this sunset with you. And only you.”

Louis says nothing.

Harry laces his fingers in Louis’ in the sand.

Louis squeezes Harry’s hand gently in response, and he thinks that says enough. 

**

DAY 20

Louis wakes up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, then sits up frantically, looking around.

Harry is startled awake and sits up right next to Louis. “Hey,” he says. “What’s wrong?” He places a hand on the small of Louis’ back in a tender touch. 

Louis starts to laugh. “Nothing, just forgot we fell asleep on the beach last night.”

“Oh,” Harry laughs with him. “Well, it’s up to you what we do now.” He turns slowly towards Louis.

“Wh-” Louis’ breath hitches as he averts his gaze to the sand. “What do you mean?” He asks, finally regaining his composure.

Harry’s brow furrows in confusion. “The sun isn’t up yet. We could slip into the shelter so we’re there when everyone else wakes up,” he looks out to the water. “Or we could stay out here.”

Louis feels stupid for thinking Harry could have possibly meant anything else. He also knows it would be stupid to isolate themselves so early on in the merge. But he’s confident that he has enough people on his side to feel comfortable enough to indulge Harry in the option he evidently prefers.

“Let’s just stay here.” Louis lays his head back down onto his sweater, guiding Harry down with him.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

**

When Louis wakes again, he’s all alone. 

He doesn’t like the feeling.

Louis stands up and shakes his sweater off, before slipping it on. The sun is out, but the breeze makes it much cooler, especially near the water. As he walks back to camp, he hears Harry laughing loudly.

“Hey, Louis!” Karlie calls, waving over Harry’s shoulder.

“Good morning,” he answers as Harry peers at him from over his shoulder. 

“I can’t believe you guys managed to sleep in the sand last night.” She says, as he stops beside Harry.

“I know. It’s this one, here. He lives for it.” Louis throws an arm around Harry’s waist. “Why didn’t you wake me,” he pauses, glances over at Karlie, then adds for good measure, “darling?”

“Just couldn’t do it. I watched you sleep for a little while, then came over here when I noticed other people were awake. Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad!” Louis replies quickly.

Karlie giggles and walks away, fully aware that their conversation wasn’t over.

“It’s just,” Louis continues, turning to face Harry. “Nevermind.” Louis decides against it. “It’s dumb.”

“Hey,” Harry places a hand under Louis’ chin. “It’s not dumb.”

Louis takes Harry’s one hand in his own two, and brings it down between them. “We’re finally in this together, now. And I don’t wanna miss any of it.”

Louis stands, and Harry pulls him close. Louis breathes Harry in, fearing in that moment that this hug was becoming a promise between them that couldn’t be kept. 

“I’m sorry.” Harry whispers in his ear.

And being wrapped up in his warm embrace, Louis already forgets what Harry is apologizing for. 

**

“Are you guys ready to get to your first individual immunity challenge?” 

A collective “yeah!” is heard as Jeff reveals the immunity necklace. 

“This is what you’re after. The only guarantee for safety in this game.”

_It’s… Not totally hideous._

“Today’s challenge is all about endurance. You’re going to be hugging onto the top of this twelve foot pole. There are six footholds going downwards, but if at any point your feet hit the sand, you are out of this challenge.”

Louis looks over to the twelve colourful poles. They’re slightly daunting. 

“We’ll draw for spots, and let’s get started.”

When everyone is set up on their poles, Jeff announces the challenge has started.

Louis is between Zayn and Shawn.

“How’s it hanging, guys?” Louis laughs nervously, decidedly not looking down at the sand below him.

“Shut up.” Shawn laughs.

“The only person out here who has played this challenge before is Zayn, and he lasted an hour and seventeen minutes.”

“Wow,” Louis looks over at Zayn. “You’re insane.”

Zayn just shrugs slightly, his arms wrapped tightly around the pole. 

“Liam, with lots of movement already.” Jeff says a few minutes later. “Down to his last two footholds.”

“Come on, Li.” Zayn mutters.

“Karlie, not far behind him. This challenge can last minutes, or it can last hours.” Jeff says casually from his safe, comfortable, standing position on the ground.

A few minutes later, Louis hears feet hit the sand, but he doesn’t dare look down at who it is.

“And just like that, Karlie is the first one out of this challenge. Take a seat over here.”

Louis is wrapped around the pole like his life depends on it. Probably because it kind of does. He’s terrified that if he relaxes his muscles for even a moment, he will plummet to the ground.

“We’re fifteen minutes into this challenge.” Jeff announces. 

Louis looks both ways and sees that there are very few people left in the top, starting position. It’s just himself, Zayn, Camila, Taylor, and Harry. 

“Harry is very solid in this challenge. Hasn’t moved an inch. Hasn’t even opened his eyes.”

Louis is endeared by the fact that Harry is so concentrated, he’s kept his eyes shut. 

_Focus._

“Liam down to his last foothold, Niall and Julia both down to their last two.” Jeff narrates.

Louis hears one set of feet hitting the sand, followed immediately by a second.

“Niall and Julia both drop, leaving nine people in this challenge.”

There’s a long time before the next person drops. Louis doesn’t know how much time has passed until Jeff announces it again. 

“Liam is out of this challenge, just as we hit the forty minute mark.”

Louis adjusts his legs as quickly as possible. He isn’t using the footholds, but instead, relying on his legs to hug the pole in the same fashion as his arms. 

“Out of nowhere, Shawn drops, taking a big fall!” Jeff yells. “Are you okay?” He asks immediately afterwards.

“Yeah,” Shawn says from the ground. “Just need a minute.”

“Hey, Zayn,” Louis hears Perrie whisper from the other side of Zayn. “Do I need this win?” 

There’s a silence, and then Zayn answers, “I don’t think so.”

“Perrie, now lowering herself down the pole intentionally. Perrie hits the sand and is out of this challenge. Now we’re down to six, coming up to one hour. We’ve got Zayn, Harry, and Louis, all still at the top of their poles. Camila, Taylor, and Luke are all at the halfway point.”

It feels like hours later when it’s just Louis, Harry, and Zayn left. 

“We’re at an hour and a half, the three of you outlasting Zayn’s original time.”

“Nice work, boys.” Zayn says not long after, and out of sheer irony, Zayn is on his last foothold. “I’m glad I beat my personal best, but I can’t hang on anymore.”

And then it’s the sound of his feet hitting the sand.

And then it’s just Harry and Louis. 

“Way to go, you two. Keep holding in there.” Louis hears Taylor call from the bench. 

“We’re coming up on two hours, and neither Harry nor Louis show any signs of distress.”

“Hey, Jeff?” Louis calls.

“Yeah!”

“Can I tell you something, completely honestly?”

“Go ahead, Louis.”

“Literally the only reason I’m still up here is because I’m terrified to come down. I haven’t looked down once. So, actually, I am in distress.”

Everyone laughs. 

“Guys, I’m serious. My body is on fire but I don’t know how to get down.”

“Oh, Louis.” Niall laughs loudly.

Suddenly, Louis hears feet hitting the sand, then footsteps approaching his pole. This time, he looks down. 

Harry is standing beneath his pole, holding his hands out to help Louis once he gets close enough to him.

“Harry steps down and Louis wins! First individual immunity!”

Louis hears everyone cheering for him on the bench but all he sees is Harry waiting for him on the ground. 

He lowers himself down each foothold until he’s on the last one, then puts his full trust in Harry as he lets go of the pole. 

Harry catches him with a grip on his hips, allowing Louis’ feet to hit the ground softly. 

Louis turns around and smiles at Harry. “Thanks.”

“Louis, come on over.” Jeff says, holding out the necklace.

Everyone claps politely as Louis walks away from Harry and over to Jeff to have the necklace put on around his neck. 

“Louis, safe tonight at tribal council, where somebody will be the seventh person voted out of this game, and the first member of our jury.” He grips Louis’ shoulder. “Alright, grab your stuff and head out. See you tonight.”

**

“Congrats, Louis.” Zayn pats him on the shoulder once they’re back at camp.

“Yeah, that was intense. But Harry,” Perrie turns away from Louis. “Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?” Harry asks, as he takes the necklace from Louis’ neck and hangs it on the banner post. 

“I mean, why did you step down?” 

“Well,” Harry turns back around. “I’d had enough. We were up there for two hours, you know.”

“Yeah,” Perrie nods. “But you didn’t move once. I’m willing to bet you could have gone another two hours, at least.”

“What does it matter?” Liam steps in, putting a hand in front of Perrie. 

She’s a good person, really. Louis likes her. He just doesn’t like this bitter version of her. But he understands. He would probably be the same way if Harry had gone home while they were still separated. 

“Would you not have done the same thing?” Harry asks, before Perrie can respond to Liam. “If Jade were here, and you were the last two. Would you not want her to have a victory over yourself?”

Perrie shrugs. “It’s a game, Harry. And I would give it a hundred percent, no matter who I’m up against.” 

Harry practically scoffs as she walks away.

“It’s okay, Harry.” Niall steps in once Perrie is gone. “We all know you’re just as much of a sap for your boy as he is for you.”

Louis is so focused on hiding the red in his own cheeks, he doesn’t notice the rose in Harry’s. 

**

“Okay, as much as I would love to get rid of Perrie and her awful attitude,” Camila rolls her eyes. “I think we might as well take out someone in a couple. And that means it would have to be Taylor or Karlie first.”

“Well,” Liam answers. “In theory, could it not be Julia or Niall?”

“No.” Shawn replies quickly. “I mean…”

Everyone eyes Shawn suspiciously.

“Shawn’s right.” Louis speaks up. “We need them for the numbers right now. Unless we pulled in Taylor and Karlie instead of those two, but I’m not sure I fully trust them to follow a plan.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Zayn says. 

“So, which one then?” Shawn asks.

“Karlie.” Harry pipes in, offering his own opinion. “Taylor would feel like she has no choice but to join us. But if we got rid of Taylor, Karlie would try to create chaos.”

“Good point,” Camila replies. “Okay, I’ll tell Julia, and one of you needs to tell Niall. Also, do we want to bring Perrie in on this? We wouldn’t actually need her for the numbers, if everyone follows the plan. But it would make her feel like she’s in the majority. For now, at least.” 

“Yeah,” Louis says. “I’ll talk to her.”

Minutes later, Louis finds Perrie at the water well.

“Hey, Perrie.” 

She looks up at him. “Hey, Louis. Look, I’m sorry for being so rude lately, I just feel like such a loser for being one of two people in the merge without their partner.”

Louis shakes his head. “No, I get it. But I honestly wanted to say I’m sorry about that. It was just…” Louis trails off. “It was her or me,” he lies. “And so I did what I was told to do, because I was at the mercy of the others.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. You were the only outsider.”

“Exactly,” Louis nods. “And besides, if it makes you feel any better, you and Luke being the only ones without their partner isn’t going to last much longer.”

Perrie seems to understand, and a smile grows on her face, maybe for the first time since Jade was voted out exactly a week ago. “Who are we taking out?”

**

“So,” Jeff says once they’re all seated at tribal council. “Let’s talk about these first couple of days as one tribe. Are there any clear divisions in the group? Niall?”

Niall looks surprised to be called on. “Well, I honestly think the most obvious one is that Perrie is not Louis’ biggest fan right now.”

“And why is that? Louis?”

“We worked it out. But I think it was just that feeling of betrayal at having a loved one voted out while I was around. We were on the original Waitui together, and then when we swapped, I was the only Waitui on a tribe of all Vula, and so I needed to integrate. And that meant taking out Jade.”

“I see.” Jeff nods. 

“There’s so many factors in this season, Jeff.” Louis continues. “In order to save myself that night, I had to sacrifice my relationship with Perrie. But I’m hoping we’ll be able to move past it.”

“Okay,” Jeff says, moving past it. “Now, we can’t just not talk about the challenge today.”

Louis glances down at the immunity necklace he’s wearing.

“I just want an honest show of hands.” Jeff states. “Who would have done the same thing Harry did if their partner had said they couldn’t get down?”

_Shut up, Jeff._

“This isn’t a test!” Jeff laughs, when everyone looks to each other for an answer.

_Shut UP, Jeff._

Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, a few people begin to raise their hands.

“Camila, you have your hand raised and you’re looking right at Shawn and he’s looking right at you…” Jeff trails off. “But his hand isn’t raised.”

Camila almost doesn’t seem surprised. “I think we’re just playing two different games. And that’s fine.”

“Alright, Harry. You can see there’s some people who would have done the same. But I think we should allow you the chance to explain.”

Harry glances over at Louis. “There’s not even much to explain. I’ve said it before. This is his game. I only got to come out here in the first place because of him. So I think there’s something to be said for making a choice between winning a challenge and showing him how much I care.”

“That’s very sweet but I think we’re all wondering,” Jeff looks around, as if he’s seeking support. “Would you have beat him? How long do you think you could have stayed up there?”

“Honestly?” Harry asks. “I don’t know. I was pretty focused until Louis said he couldn’t get down. That took me right out of it.”

“Interesting. So, Niall,” Jeff moves right along once again. “Easy vote tonight?”

Niall shakes his head. “From here on out, there’s never an easy vote.”

“Taylor, do you agree?”

“Absolutely. It’s like Louis said earlier,” Taylor gestures in Louis’ general direction. “There are so many factors.”

“So everybody here has a plan tonight. But because there’s so many factors, that plan might look different for a lot of you. Interesting. Are we ready to vote?”

“I think so, Jeff.” Louis says.

“Alright, let’s get to it then. Louis, you’re up first.”

Louis turns to look at Harry, who simply nods at him. He stands up and goes to cast his vote on the parchment.

**

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Louis looks around, knowing somebody probably found an idol at the merge feast. Nobody seems to give anything away.

“Alright,” Jeff continues after a long enough silence. “I’ll read the votes.”

**

“Seventh person voted out and the first member of our jury, Karlie. You need to bring me your torch.”

Taylor looks around in surprise. Her, Karlie and Luke had been told that the plan was to take out Harry after giving up the immunity challenge. In the end, it was a nine to three vote, and there was no worry in Louis’ mind in regards to people telling them it had to be Harry. At least, there was no worry yet. 

“Karlie, the tribe has spoken.”

Karlie turns around, gives a quick wave to everyone, then looks at Taylor and says, “good luck, babe.” 

She walks out without looking back. 

**

Back at camp, Louis forms a huddle with Harry, Liam and Zayn. 

“We should have had this conversation earlier. But we need to talk about idols.” 

“Yeah, I don’t know why this didn’t come up until now.”

“Okay well, I’ll start.” Harry shrugs. “I have one.”

“What?” Louis’ head snaps towards Harry.

“It just didn’t come up!” Harry whisper-yells defensively. 

“Okay, but it definitely did come up when I told you I had one.” Louis argues back, turning his body to face Harry, body language more aggressive.

“Hey,” Zayn says between their bickering. “I have one, too. I found it at the merge feast.”

Louis and Harry are silenced. 

“Okay, so I’m the only one here who isn’t equipped. Alright.” Liam says, clearly feeling defeated. 

“Hey, it’s alright, Li.” Zayn says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine. We need to make good use of them. You’ll be able to help with that.”

**

“I’m sorry for getting upset with you earlier.” Louis whispers in the dark of the shelter.

Harry doesn’t reply. Just sighs as he rolls over to face Louis.

Louis recognizes the look in Harry’s eyes. “Haz…” 

“It’s okay. I’m not mad. I just wish you’d understand that the way I’m choosing to play this game is to help protect you.” 

“I-”

“It’s okay, Lou.” Harry cuts him off. “Just kiss me, please?”

Louis thinks they should talk about this while everyone is asleep.

But he kisses him once, twice, three times.

And then they go to sleep without another word.

**

DAY 21

“If nothing is happening today, I think we should just take the day to relax.” Camila suggests. “No strategy talk. I feel good about our group.”

“Okay, well. Quick strategy talk then?” Shawn asks. “Just want to throw something out there for us to think about. Then I promise we can do nothing the rest of the day.”

“Yeah, let’s hear it.” Zayn pats him on the back.

“I know that the plan was to target couples. With Niall next. But I was thinking,” Shawn looks at the ground nervously before finding his confidence again, looking up to speak with conviction. “I think we need to get rid of Luke if he doesn’t win.”

Louis nods along, ready to hear Shawn’s reasoning in keeping Niall and getting rid of a single.

“The guy is a beast. If we don’t take him down early enough, I could honestly see him going on an immunity run in the end. Then he would make the final three, even if we never intended to drag him along that far.”

“I’m down with that.” Harry answers first.

“Yeah, I think that could be good. And all we really need is the six of us.” Liam realizes this small group is now an official majority.

“But we could once again use Niall.” Shawn adds.

“What about Julia?” Camila asks.

“No, Shawn has a point.” Louis smiles. “Keep causing that rift between them. Our boy here is smart.” Louis reaches up to ruffle through Shawn’s hair.

Shawn pushes Louis away jokingly. “Yeah, yeah,” he laughs. 

**

In the early evening, Louis finds himself sitting in the sand next to Harry, just far enough out that they’re submerged in a few inches of cool water. Louis extends his legs and leans back on his hands, causing Harry to do the same. 

Louis looks out at the ocean, and without looking at Harry, he lifts his hand up and then covers Harry’s with it, slowly, as if to ask for permission.

Harry just hums. 

Then, in a swift movement, Harry removes his hand from under Louis’ and is straddling his hips. With his hands on Louis’ shoulders, he begins to kiss at his collarbones, making his way up his body. When he reaches Louis’ throat, Louis’ head tilts back automatically to give him more space. But as Harry moves to the side of his neck and reaches under his ear, Louis realizes he needs this to stop before it’s clear how much he’s enjoying it.

“Harry,” he doesn’t mean to say his name in a moan, but when Harry bites into his skin and licks it afterwards, Louis can’t help it.

Louis can’t find his voice so he uses his hands to push Harry’s hips away from where they’re pressed against his own. 

“What’s the matter, Lou?” Harry looks confused, which is both fair and unfair at the same time. It’s fair because Louis evidently enjoys being touched, caressed, kissed by Harry. But it’s unfair because Harry started all of this, and they haven’t talked about it.

“Harry, we need to talk about this.” Louis groans.

“No, we don’t.” 

Louis can hear a teasing whistle coming from somewhere down the beach, but he doesn’t break eye contact with Harry. 

“Not yet.” Harry begins sliding closer towards Louis again, but Louis stops him with a hand on his chest.

“But we will?” 

“We will.” Harry leans forward slowly.

Louis keeps his hand on Harry’s chest, stopping their lips from connecting.

“I promise, Louis.” Harry breathes against Louis’ mouth.

And then Louis lets himself be touched, caressed, kissed by Harry.

**

DAY 22

“Camila wins! Individual immunity!” 

Camila jumps up and down, squealing with excitement after throwing her balancing plate in the air when Jeff announced her as the winner. 

Louis watches with soft eyes as Shawn rushes over from the bench to hug her and twirl her around. 

“Camila, come on over.” Jeff holds out the necklace.

Camila dances over and then turns around, flipping her hair over her shoulder, right into Jeff’s face.

Everyone laughs and continues to clap for her win.

“Alright, Camila cannot be voted out at tonight’s tribal council. As for the rest of you, somebody will be voted out and become the second member of our jury. See you tonight.”

**

“Congrats Camila, you were so good at that.”

“Thanks!” She smiles at Louis, taking the necklace off. 

“Alright,” Louis says to everyone after the buzz around Camila has died down. “I’m gonna go do water refills. Anybody need it?”

Louis collects canteens and as he starts to walk towards the well, he feels a hand grab his wrist.

“Hey.” Louis says to Harry while he continues walking. 

“Hey back.”

Harry lets go of Louis’ arm and walks alongside him.

“Are we okay?” He asks suddenly. 

“What do you mean?” Louis asks without looking beside him.

“I mean,” Harry grabs Louis’ wrist, stopping him in his quick step. “Exactly that. You haven’t so much as looked at me all day.”

Louis sighs. “I’m just tired, Harry.” 

“Of me.” Harry assumes.

“No, Harry. Not everything is about you, okay?”

“You think I think everything is about me?”

Louis doesn’t want to be having this argument in the middle of the forest. But he’s never been able to bite his tongue, and none of the camera crew followed them, since Louis had initially left alone. 

“Right now, Harry. Yeah, actually, I do.” 

This hurts Harry. Louis knows it does, but he can’t take it back now. 

“Wow,” is all Harry says, before turning to walk back to camp.

“Harry,” Louis sighs, calling after him. “Harry, wait!” He calls again, when he doesn’t turn around. 

“No, Louis. I’m gonna go back to camp and protect your ass, again. Convince people to stick to the plan on voting out Luke instead of you, because I know that some of them are considering flipping on you.” Harry throws his arms in the air. “But everything’s about me, right?” 

And then he’s gone. 

And Louis is left feeling guilty. 

**

Louis gets back to camp and everyone goes silent.

_That’s never good._

He looks around and realizes the only people missing are Zayn and Harry.

“Where’s Harry?” Louis asks. 

“Walked down to the rock wall. Came back in near tears and said something about fighting with you. When he took off, Zayn went after him.” Liam explains, giving Louis a look that says something along the lines of _you’re an idiot_ , and Louis knows he deserves that. 

“Yeah, I have to go fix this. I was pretty hard on him.”

“Go get your boy.” Niall instructs. 

So he does. 

**

“Harry?” Louis says softly as he approaches him and Zayn where they’re sitting on the rocks.

Harry has his head tucked between his knees and Zayn has a hand on his back.

“I’ll go.” Zayn says, looking over at Louis, then he gets up and walks past him, leaning in close to Louis. “If he dumps your ass,” Zayn whispers. “You’re gonna have to deal with it, because he told me to go back and make sure everyone was still on board with the Luke vote. So even if he hates you right now, he’s still protecting you.”

Louis just looks at Zayn.

“He loves you, Louis. Go make sure he knows that you love him, too.”

Louis wishes he could. 

**

“Harry, babe, we’re alone right now. Please just tell me how you’re feeling.” Louis begs as he sits in front of a crying Harry. 

“I’m so sorry I said that earlier. It wasn’t right. I should be thanking you forever.” Louis continues, and he hears Harry sniffle.

Harry finally looks up. “Louis, just be honest, does it make you uncomfortable when I kiss you?”

Louis doesn’t know what to say. He looks down where he’s playing with his hands. 

“I get it.” Harry’s voice breaks. “I’ll stop, I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

“What? No. Harry,” Louis takes Harry’s hands in his. “Listen. This is what I got us into. I warned you it would be hard to pretend like this, but I just never stopped to think about how hard it would be for me, too.”

“What do you mean?” He asks, a strange look on his face.

Louis can't be honest with Harry. Not here. Not now.

“I just mean that we’re past the three week mark and my brain hurts. It’s a lot to have to be constantly thinking about making sure we look like a couple on top of the actual gameplay.” 

Harry just nods silently, looking down. “Oh,” he says, though it seemed to be involuntary. 

“And then you kiss me before bed and it all just goes away for a little while.” Louis admits quietly, coming out more honest than he intended. 

“So… you are okay with it then? You’re not uncomfortable?”

“It’s a little bit of both, Haz. I don’t know how to explain it. I guess it just confuses me. Like, I know it’s what we signed up for, but it still confuses me.”

“Would it confuse you if I asked to kiss you, right now?” Harry asks in a hushed tone.

“Yes, Harry. It would. It’s like that time you got mad at me for calling you my boyfriend when we were alone. It’s the same thing right now. Nobody is around. There are no cameras. So we don’t need to kiss.”

“Yeah,” Harry looks hard at Louis’ face, eyes searching for something. “We don’t need to.”

_At least we kind of talked about it._

**

Once everyone is seated, Jeff calls Karlie in as the first and only member of the jury so far. She smiles as she sits down.

“So, day twenty-two. Are any of you finding it getting harder to be playing with your partner?”

Zayn lets out a scoff.

“Zayn?”

“Sorry, Jeff. It’s not even my place to say, it’s just so funny how you always get right to it. No time to waste.”

“Okay, so without saying anything, tell me something, then.” Jeff never stops digging. 

“Well,” Zayn says in a drawl. “There was a bit of a… Spat today.”

“A spat?”

“A lovers quarrel.” 

“Oh, now that’s something. Anybody else wanna talk about Zayn’s vague scenario?” 

“Okay,” Louis rolls his eyes. “Since this obviously isn’t gonna end until somebody spills all, I’ll just get it over with.” 

Jeff grins smugly.

“Harry and I had a little fight. Minor. It happens! It’s not like we’ve never fought before.”

“And what was it about?” Jeff really will not stop.

Louis decides to be as honest as he can, without telling everyone he’s not actually dating the person he brought to an all couples season. “We both knew this would be hard. And by week three, my brain is always on edge. So that makes all our differences all the more exhausting.”

“Care to comment, Harry?”

From beside Louis, Harry sits up straighter. 

“Louis basically covered it. We’re just two different people so we’re gonna have our differences. And sometimes those differences require a bit of pretending to cover them up. And that’s just something that really came out today.” Harry shrugs. “You can’t pretend forever.”

_Interesting choice of words._

“I can see we’re gonna continue to be ambiguous about this. So, Taylor,” he turns in his seat. “What’s it like to keep playing with the people who voted out your partner? Are there hard feelings?”

“Well, it’s very different than losing somebody in your alliance. It feels more personal.” She glances over to Karlie on the jury bench.

“At least you know you’re not the only one, right? Perrie and Luke have been going through it for a while, too.”

“You just have to decide not to take it personally.” Perrie says cheerfully. 

Everyone laughs, and rightfully so.

“As if you didn’t want Louis’ head on a platter for days after Jade was voted out.” Julia snorts.

“I actually agree with Perrie,” Luke says. “You do have to make a choice. But I also agree with everyone else in laughing because she’s a hypocrite for saying that.” A smile grows on his face, though he tries to conceal it. 

“Alright,” Jeff steps in, before things get out of hand. “So what is tonight’s vote about?”

“It’s a mix of everything,” Liam says. “We need to look ahead towards the endgame.”

“Isn’t it a bit early for that?” Taylor turns around in her seat to look at Liam. 

“Are you telling me you haven’t thought about who you want to sit at the end with?”

Taylor stays quiet.

“Exactly.”

“Okay, show of hands, who already has an ideal final three in their heads?”

Tentatively, everyone raises their hand until it’s just Louis and Taylor left.

“Louis?” Jeff asks, and Louis can feel Harry’s eyes on him.

“I have to agree with Taylor on this one. It’s a little bit early for me. I’m not saying I’m not being strategic in each vote, but I think everything is still too fuzzy to say that I can see a final three in my head.”

Taylor nods along.

“Alright, let’s vote.” Jeff cuts off the conversation, bringing it to an end. 

**

When nobody plays an idol, Jeff reads the votes. 

It’s a seven to four split, with Harry receiving the four votes from the minority, once again. This time, Louis feels more nervous about it. All it would take is one secret idol played, and Harry would be gone. 

As Luke walks out, he clearly takes his own advice and doesn’t take it personally. “See you all later! I’m sleeping in a bed tonight!” He yells, as he walks down the boardwalk. 

Louis pats Harry’s leg quickly before they stand up.

When they go to bed later that night, Harry slides himself back towards Louis’ chest, and Louis rolls over to face the other side.

“Not tonight.” He mumbles.

After a few seconds of no movement, he turns over enough to look at Harry over his shoulder.

Harry is curled up, still facing away from Louis.

“Hey,” Louis whispers, getting Harry’s attention. “Did you think I meant we weren’t gonna cuddle?”

Harry rolls over to face Louis. “Kind of.”

“No, you dork. Come on, it’s freezing. I’m just having a day. I think it’s only fair to let me be the little spoon for once.”

Harry moves quickly in the dark, the only thing illuminating their bodies being the distant glow of the moon.

Once they settle and Harry has his neck hooked over Louis’ shoulder, he whispers, “thank you”. 

“For what?” Louis whispers back without moving. 

“Being so good to me.” Harry brushes his lips against Louis’ cheek, and then he’s asleep.

Louis lays awake in Harry’s arms for a little while, just wanting to hold onto this moment. He only has about two weeks left, maximum. After that, they go home to their separate beds and their attempts at dating other people.

Louis falls asleep thinking about how much he would love to sleep in the same bed as Harry, every night. 

Maybe forever.

**

DAY 23

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s reward challenge?” Jeff asks as they all stand on the sand of the beach. 

Everyone nods.

“For today’s challenge, you’re going to be split up into two teams of five, where you will be throwing sandbags at a standing puzzle of the opposite team. Once one team has completely decimated the puzzle, one person from each tribe will race to rebuild their puzzle. The goal is simple, you want to be the first team to knock down the entire puzzle so that you have more blocks when we switch to rebuild.” 

Everyone glances over at the puzzles.

“Wanna know what you’re playing for?”

“Yeah!”

“Winning team will get out on a boat and spend the evening on the water, being served dinner, along with some cold beers.”

This excites everyone.

“We’ll draw for teams and then we’ll get started.”

**

“Alright, on one team, we’ve got Shawn, Niall, Louis, Zayn and Perrie. And on the other team we’ve got Harry, Liam, Julia, Camila, and Taylor.”

They’re all standing in a line in front of the puzzle, ready to take turns throwing sandbags as quickly as possible.

“Survivors ready? Go!” Jeff calls.

The first few throws for both teams simply push the blocks slightly off balance. But it doesn’t take them long for blocks to be flying.

“Zayn with a big hit! Harry knocks down some blocks!”

It goes on until Harry’s team obliterates Louis’ team’s puzzle first.

“Okay, we’re switching!” Jeff yells. “We’ve got our two puzzle makers. Louis is building the puzzle from scratch, with all the blocks knocked off, and Camila is building with almost the entire bottom row filled in. It’s only four blocks of a lead, but it could make a huge difference in this challenge.”

Louis glances over to see Camila placing blocks already, but he doesn’t panic. He continues to retrieve them from behind the puzzle and carry them back to where he’s building. He’s got all the pieces, and Camila is starting to look turned around from running back and forth for each individual piece. 

Louis tunes out everyone around him and starts placing blocks. He builds the bottom row across, and the outer two columns first. Before he knows it, he’s down to three blocks.

“Louis places another piece, leaving two left. Camila has fallen out of it. Louis with one block left, and this challenge is over! A big comeback! Louis, Zayn, Niall, Shawn and Perrie win reward!” 

Louis kicks the puzzle to knock it over and then turns around to celebrate their win. 

**

“This is incredible!” Louis yells in the wind as the boat cuts through the water at high speeds. 

“Wooooo!” Shawn is leaning over the edge, screaming. 

Louis watches as Niall grabs hold of Shawn’s arm, clearly concerned for Shawn’s safety after downing a few beers. 

Zayn and Perrie are sitting with Louis, still working on eating their dinner. 

“Well, Louis. You said you hadn’t thought much about a final three yet. But what about this?” Perrie asks, taking a sip of her beer. “We all started together on Waitui, we could finish strong together, too.”

“Um,” Louis tilts his head, looking to Zayn, who just shrugs.

“Honestly Louis, I think it might be a good plan.”

“Okay, do share then.” Louis can’t control his sharp tone. 

“Louis, we absolutely will not win if we don’t have what it takes to cut our boyfriends out when we need to.”

Louis can’t even believe what Zayn is saying. But he decides to go with it. 

_Zayn cannot be in the final three with me. I need to get rid of him before he can get rid of me. He’s ruthless._

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, actually.” Louis nods.

_Timing is everything. Wait for it._

**

“Are you okay, Louis? Are you seasick?” Harry is right by Louis’ side the moment he gets back, supporting him with an arm around his waist.

“Nope,” Louis giggles. “Drunk.”

“Oh god, Louis.” Harry mutters, still helping him to where they can sit down. 

“The other boys, too. I think Shawn and Niall kissed!” Louis whispers drunkenly. 

“I’m sure they did, Louis.” Harry replies disbelievingly. 

Harry gets Louis to sit on the beach, then goes to the shelter before returning with their sweaters. “We’re sleeping out here tonight.” He states, laying down his own sweater for them to lay down on. 

Louis lays down immediately, and Harry follows, pulling Louis’ sweater over them like a shared blanket.

“Harry, do you love me?” Louis whispers under the light of the stars.

“Of course I love you, Louis.” Harry whispers right back. “You’re my best friend.” 

Louis hums, bringing a hand up to Harry’s face. “Okay.”

“Louis,” Harry sighs. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you love me. You can’t keep kissing me if you don’t love me because that’s not fair to me because I like kissing you.” Louis pinches at Harry’s cheek. “But you just love me because I’m your best friend so I don’t think you like kissing me, too.”

Harry takes Louis’ hand from his face and presses a gentle kiss into his palm, before guiding Louis’ hand to his heart.

With his hand pressed against Harry’s chest, Louis thinks this is a moment he’ll replay over and over in his mind.

And then he falls asleep.

**

DAY 24

“Ugh.” Louis groans when he wakes up before the sun has started to rise. He looks back towards the shelter and doesn’t see anybody else awake. He looks back over to Harry, still sleeping next to him. Louis rolls closer to him, and Harry subconsciously drapes an arm over his waist. 

Louis thinks he could watch him sleep for hours.

**

“Harry.” Louis prods at his face. 

“What?” Harry replies without opening his eyes.

“I wanna watch the sunrise with you.”

Harry stretches and finally opens his eyes to look at Louis. “Really?”

“Really.”

And Louis remembers asking Harry if he loved him the night before. Remembers Harry telling him that he’s his best friend. And Louis thinks that a good best friend does things they know will make their best friend happy. With Harry, that means staring up at the sky with him.

Harry rests his head on Louis’ chest, and Louis’ breath quickens before gaining control again. “Hey, Lou?”

“Yeah, Harry?”

“I just really hope you know how much I care about you.” 

Louis doesn’t say anything, just focuses on keeping his breath steady. 

“When we met in high school, I just knew I would do anything to keep you happy.” He pauses. “Are you happy, Louis?”

This takes Louis by surprise. “Right now? With you here, watching this sunrise together while you say nice things to me? Yeah, I’d say I’m pretty happy.”

“I’m being serious, Louis.”

“So am I.” Louis replies quickly. “When I’m with you, I’m happy.”

“Even when we fight?”

“Even when we fight.”

Louis plays with Harry’s hair in his fingers as they speak. 

“You know, when we decided to move in together, Gemma told me it would either be the best or the worst decision of my life.”

“And? Have you decided which it is?”

“Well, you said you’re happy. So it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Neither of them say anything else while they lay and watch the sunrise for the next hour. 

**

“Hey, man.” Zayn greets Louis as he approaches. “Feeling hungover?” He asks, handing Louis his filled canteen.

“Thanks.” Louis laughs. “So I wanted to ask a couple of things. The first question is,” Louis glances around. “Did Niall and Shawn actually kiss last night?”

Zayn barks out a laugh. “No, I don’t think they actually did. They just talked about it forever. Oh Shawn,” Zayn mimics. “Your lips look so soft.”

The two of them keep laughing and making jokes until Shawn approaches.

“Hey, guys.” He says casually.

Louis can’t keep a straight face.

“What’s going on?”

Zayn smiles. “Does Shawn have a little crush on Niall?”

“Oh god,” Shawn covers his face with his hands. “Let’s not talk about last night. We were both drunk, alright?”

“So were we! But you didn’t see us making out, now did you?” Louis teases.

“We didn’t actually makeout! But I know this is a problem. Just please don’t tell Camila.”

Louis’ eyes shoot open and he turns to Zayn. They can’t help it. They both break into laughter at the same time. 

“It’s okay, man.” Zayn says finally. “We won’t say anything. Just… Maybe get this all sorted.”

“It’s gonna have to wait, I think.” Shawn says.

“I agree. Don’t do anything while we’re still out here. Deal with your feelings after the game.”

_I’m such a hypocrite._

Louis realizes he needs to take his own advice. Deal with his feelings for Harry later. Right now, they have a game to focus on. 

_Deal with your feelings after the game._

**

“Harry, hey! Do not!” Louis whisper-yells as they’re standing around their firepit.

“What?” Harry stops what he’s doing to look at Louis.

Thankfully, they don’t acquire the attention of everyone else milling around the camp.

Louis walks closer. “Don’t start that fire. At least, don’t do it well.”

“What are you talking about?”

Louis’ mind flashes back to their training and how impressed he was with Harry’s firemaking ability. “You’re too good at it. If you set that fire too quick and somebody notices, you don’t make the final four because of the firemaking challenge. If you show people you’re good at it, they won’t want to risk going against you.”

“You really think so?”

“What?”

“You think I’m too good?” Harry asks, smirk growing on his face.

“Oh, shut up.” Louis hits his arm. “Give me that.” He grabs for the flint.

Harry happily hands it over and Louis doesn’t even care that it takes him much longer to start the fire than it would have taken Harry, because for all those extra minutes, Harry has his eyes set on Louis. 

**

DAY 25

“For today’s immunity challenge, you’re gonna be balanced on a beam with your arm over your head. If you step off the beam, or your arm gets too low, the bucket of water above you drops and you are out of this challenge. No shot of immunity. We’ll draw for spots and get started.”

Everyone gets set up with the bracelet around their wrist and their arms above their head.

“This challenge is on. Longest it has ever lasted is six hours and eleven minutes.” Jeff narrates. 

“Wow.” 

Louis hears the sound of water hitting the ground.

“Just like that, Shawn drops after ten minutes. First one out of this challenge.”

Shawn huffs and marches over to the bench. 

The sun is beaming down and Louis knows everyone is feeling it. The mid-afternoon heat is sweltering and they’re all sweating. 

“We’re twenty minutes into this challenge now, and there are nine of you remaining. So I thought I would make this interesting.”

“I hope it’s pizza!” Liam yells. 

“Sorry, Liam. Here for anyone willing to step down right now is chicken wings. Hot, honey garlic, salt and pepper. Just buckets of wings.”

Louis can tell people are considering it by the silence that follows. 

_I ate two days ago. I don’t need any food. Whatever he offers, I don’t need it._

“If nobody else is gonna make the first move, I’ll take them, Jeff.” Niall says.

“Alright. Offer has ended. Only Niall will enjoy chicken wings.”

Niall steps off his perch and lets the water pour down on him before unstrapping his wrist. 

Another twenty minutes pass, and Jeff carries out another plate of food. “Spaghetti and meatballs.” 

“Carbs.” Taylor says longingly. “I’m in.” And she steps off the perch.

“So am I.” Julia steps down as well.

“Anybody else?” Jeff asks.

Nobody moves. 

Louis watches as Niall, Taylor and Julia eat on the bench. His stomach growls, though he knows he doesn’t need it. 

“We are an hour into this challenge and there are six of you remaining. I would like to present a new offer.”

Everyone perks up, seeing that Jeff has nothing in his hands. 

“If one of you steps down right now, there will be coffee grounds and sugar waiting for the entire tribe back at camp tomorrow morning.”

Nobody says anything, but Louis hears a bucket tilting and water hitting the ground.

“Harry steps down, earning coffee for the tribe, but losing the chance to win immunity.”

Everyone on the bench applauds him as he walks over, and Louis smiles to himself. 

“That was quick.” Jeff says. “Not even anything in it for you right now.”

“Don’t need anything for myself right now. But that coffee and sugar would do everyone some good.” Harry climbs up on the bench to sit next to Shawn, who also has nothing to eat at the moment.

An hour later, Jeff brings out a box. “Pizza.”

“I’m in.” Liam steps down. 

“Anybody else?” 

None of them move.

“Alright, Liam. It’s all yours. Zayn, Louis, Camila and Perrie are the last four in this challenge. One of them will have a one in nine chance of winning this game. The other three will be joining this bench, going into tribal council unprotected.”

“Okay,” Zayn says. “Maybe we should discuss this.”

“Is your arm getting sore, Zayn?” Camila laughs.

“I lost feeling an hour ago. Which is the problem. We could be here for hours. So, what are we gonna do?” 

“I think we wait until there’s two of us left,” Louis says. “Then we crack a deal.”

Two hours later, it’s down to Louis and Perrie. Zayn had lost his balance and fallen off the perch at the three hour mark, and Camila lost her focus immediately after, causing her to lose her balance, as well.

“Alright, Perrie. We’ve been up here for four hours. What kind of deal are we making?” 

Perrie takes a moment to think. “Loved ones visit,” she says. “If I win, I’ll pick you to come with me.”

Louis takes a moment to process this. It’s possible he wins that challenge. If Harry wins, he’ll take Louis. And now if Perrie wins, she’s guaranteeing to take him.

_I like those odds._

“Deal.” 

Louis steps down.

Perrie wins.

**

“Okay, here’s what we need to do.” Louis explains, as a small group of three is gathered on the beach. “We need to split the vote.”

“On who?” Julia asks.

“Taylor and Camila.” Shawn replies. 

“And you’re okay with that?” Julia sounds shocked. 

Shawn just shrugs. “I’m pretty sure Taylor doesn’t have an idol.”

“We don’t have much time.” Louis gets their focus back. “So Julia, you need to tell Niall you’re both voting for Camila. Shawn and Camila will vote for Taylor. I’ll bring Perrie in. Then, the votes should be split five for Taylor, three for Camila and two for whoever the girls vote for.”

“And you’re sure this will work?” Julia asks, already turning to walk back to camp. 

“As long as everyone sticks to the plan.”

Julia walks away, and Louis turns to Shawn.

“Listen, I think Taylor might have an idol. We’re just gonna flush it, but Camila isn’t going home.”

**

“Hey, Louis.” Camila approaches just minutes before they have to leave for tribal.

Louis nods towards her in acknowledgement.

“Why does Julia think the votes are being split between me and Taylor tonight?”

_I knew I couldn’t trust her._

“You’re the decoy that I told her. Don’t worry, Camila.” Louis smiles, knowing his plans came together perfectly.

_Time to be the person to fix things._

**

“We’ll now bring in the members of our jury. Karlie, and Luke, voted out at the last tribal council.” 

Karlie sits down and Luke follows her, freshly shaven and wearing clothing that isn’t tattered and dirty. 

“At the challenge today, many of you stepped down for food. Explain to me that thought process.”

“We’re hungry, Jeff.” Liam shrugs. “I think it’s that easy.”

“But,” Jeff retorts. “That says something about how comfortable you feel in this game, doesn’t it?”

“Well it’s on a daily basis. You have to examine how comfortable you’re feeling for that particular tribal council and then weigh the fact that this food will help give you the energy required for the next challenge.” Julia explains. 

“So, all of you who stepped down for food feel good about tonight’s vote?” Jeff asks, clearly a rhetorical question. “And what about you, Harry? You stepped down for everyone else.”

“Well, if they turn around and send me home tonight, then I just hope Louis will honour me by dumping the coffee and sugar into the fire first thing tomorrow morning.”

Everyone laughs. 

_Always the charmer._

“So with ten of you left, have the alliance lines become more clear?” Jeff asks.

“I honestly don’t think so.” Camila answers. “I think they’re being more blurred every day.”

“How so?” 

“Well,” Shawn steps in. “People work together at different times for different reasons. Like today, we all know that Louis and Perrie cut a deal that made Louis step down, but none of us know what that is. So that relationship is blurry to the rest of us.”

“I see,” Jeff nods. “So what about in regards to your partners? Last time we discussed a ‘minor fight’,” Jeff uses air quotes. “Involving Louis and Harry. But what about the rest of you? Does your love for your partner affect your gameplay, or are you willing to do whatever it takes to win?”

“I’m not sure anyone’s gotten to that point yet.” Louis shakes his head. “None of us are following anyone blindly, but we’re not jumping at the chance to cut out our best ally, either.” 

“That makes this game so interesting. Alright. Let’s get to the vote. Liam, you’re up first.”

Everyone votes. Jeff retrieves the urn.

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so.” 

“Actually, Jeff.” Taylor speaks up. 

There’s a chorus of ‘no way’ and ‘wow’ from the rest of the tribe. 

Louis just smiles to himself. 

_I knew it._

Taylor stands up. “Found this baby when we swapped.” She swings it around and walks it over to Jeff. “I wish I had known to play it for Karlie at the first merge vote, but I’m playing it for myself, tonight.”

Harry brushes a light fist against Louis’ leg. 

“This is a hidden immunity idol. Any votes cast for Taylor will not count. I’ll read the votes.”

“First vote, Taylor. Does not count.”

Taylor smiles smugly and Louis laughs to himself. 

“Taylor. Does not count.”

“Taylor. Does not count.” 

“Camila. That’s one vote Camila.”

Louis reaches forward to squeeze her shoulder. “You’re fine.”

“Julia. That’s one vote Julia, one vote Camila.”

Julia turns around slowly, not picking up on what’s happening. 

“Julia. That’s two votes Julia, one vote Camila.” 

Taylor puts her head in her hands. “I didn’t even need to play it.” She mumbles.

“Julia. That’s three votes Julia.”

It seems to have finally clicked in Julia’s mind. Her eyes go right to Louis.

Louis shrugs and cocks his eyebrows. “You couldn’t be trusted.” 

“Ninth person voted out of this game and the third member of our jury, Julia. That’s four, that’s enough. You need to bring me your torch.”

Julia makes her exit promptly, and Jeff turns to the group.

“Looks like feeling comfortable enough for food doesn’t always guarantee you’ll get to use that energy in this game. Goodnight.” 

**

“Listen, Louis,” Niall says once they’re back at camp and alone. “I’m not mad. I just wish you would have told me.”

“I’m sorry,” Louis says earnestly. “I just really didn’t know if you would pull out whatever stops necessary to save her.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see it from your side. I would most definitely not tell you if I was planning to blindside Harry.” When Louis narrows his eyes at him, Niall adds, “which I’m not of course. I’m just saying that I would have made the same decision as you.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” Louis laughs. “Because we have work to do.”

**

DAY 26

“I am so thankful for this coffee.” Perrie says in the morning as she pours herself a cup and uses the spoon to dish in some sugar.

“Me too,” Camila takes a sip from her mug. 

They sit around and drink coffee all together, enjoying the energy boost on a day off.

“There’s only thirteen days left,” Zayn notes. “Isn’t that crazy?”

“It’s gone so fast.” Harry answers. “I feel like so much has changed in a month.” He looks at Louis with soft eyes, corners of his mouth turning upwards.

“Yeah, I would love to have a scale and a mirror.” Louis laughs, but doesn’t look away from Harry.

“I mean, you could opt out if you really want to go to Ponderosa so badly. We’ll just vote you out at the next tribal, no problem man.” Zayn nudges him with his elbow.

“Woah, let’s not get carried away here. I think I can make it another two weeks.”

**

Shawn pulls both Harry and Louis aside later in the afternoon.

“There’s nine of us left,” he states. “And I don’t know that I’ve done enough. So I need your help.”

“With what?” 

“I need to take out Camila,” Shawn says seriously. “For real, this time.”

“Okay, Shawn,” Louis nods. And when he looks at Harry, he’s nodding in approval, too. “This is your move. And we’ll help you make it.”

**

“Don’t you think it’s a little early for that?” Zayn asks later, when Louis tells him about Shawn’s desire to get rid of his girlfriend. 

“I’m not gonna complain, honestly. It’s a dumb move for him, right now. But for us, it’ll split up another couple and…” 

Realization hits Louis.

And it seems to hit Zayn at the same time. 

“You don’t think this has anything to do with Niall, do you?”

They both laugh. 

**

“Hey, Perrie. I just wanted to say thanks for following the plan last night.”

“Of course, Louis. I’m playing this game with you,” she answers. “For now.” Perrie adds with a smile. 

Louis laughs along, but in the back of his mind, still doesn’t have a clear vision for her future in the game. 

_Do I cut her out? Do I take her to the end? What if the final four firemaking challenge comes back?_

Louis doesn’t think too hard about it. Just needs to make it through each vote, day by day. 

**

“I can’t believe you’re all going to bed already. It’s crazy how much sleep you’re getting.” Louis laughs. 

“I don’t know how we’re managing it, but I’m not complaining. But you two are the last ones up, so be quiet when you come in. If you even bother coming in.” Liam laughs as he enters the shelter, leaving Louis and Harry alone for the night. 

“Aw, Niall!” Louis hears Taylor yell in the shelter. “Come join our singles cuddle.”

Louis and Harry look at each other before breaking out into laughter.

“We have a singles cuddle every night.” Harry says between laughs.

“Hey, shut up, you idiot!” Louis brings a hand up to Harry’s mouth to cover it.

They stop laughing. After a moment, Louis removes his hand slowly, then reaches for Harry’s hand, slipping his fingers between his own. 

“Let’s go for a walk before bed.”

They swing their arms between them as they walk barefoot along the beach. 

“This game is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Harry announces.

“Oh, really now?” Louis asks teasingly, turning to face Harry.

“Well, aside from fake dating you, I guess.” Harry places a gentle hand on Louis’ cheek as their feet come to a halt. 

“You guess?” Louis presses, already tilting his chin and leaning forward.

“Just shut up.” Harry says against his mouth. 

Louis sighs into Harry’s mouth at the taste he’s become familiar with. He lets go of Harry’s hand and entangles them in his hair, instead. At the same time, Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ back, pulling his hips closer, causing his back to arch backwards.

Louis pulls away just slightly, not even far enough to look into Harry’s eyes, before leaning forward again to chase that feeling. 

_Deal with the feelings later. Talk about it later. Just go with it._

Louis pries his lips away from Harry’s and attaches them to his neck.

“Louis,” a soft moan escapes Harry’s lips.

Louis continues to kiss Harry's neck.

“Mm,” Harry tilts his head back. “Louis, you gotta stop.”

This remark gets Louis to pull away immediately. The last thing he wants is to make Harry feel uncomfortable. And suddenly he’s feeling rather selfish and slimy.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I shouldn’t have-”

“No,” Harry runs his hands along Louis’ arms. “I just. I don’t wanna get so turned on out here.”

Louis can feel himself blush, and he looks away from Harry’s eyes.

“Louis?” Harry laughs. “Did you hear me? You’re not making me uncomfortable,” he says, as if he can read Louis’ mind. “I mean, I guess you kind of are.” 

Louis turns his head sharply to look at Harry again, feeling awful.

Harry just laughs and shakes his head. “I’m worried about getting even more aroused right now than I already am because I don’t think we should have sex on the beach.”

Louis laughs nervously at the joke, then plays along. “Oh no, definitely not. Sand everywhere.”

“Not to mention the cameras! Besides,” Harry continues. “You should probably buy me dinner, first.” He winks at Louis.

Louis laughs, tucking an arm around Harry’s waist to walk back to camp. “I hate you.”

**

DAY 27 

Louis wakes up next to Harry and remembers the way they joked around last night. 

_But Harry wasn’t joking about being turned on._

Louis laughs to himself, but then a wave of sadness washes over him.

_Everything else was a joke._

He looks at Harry, still sleeping, then thinks for just a fleeting second, that maybe their fake relationship doesn’t have to end when they go home. 

** 

“So, as long as Camila doesn’t win immunity, that’s still the plan, right?” Harry asks Louis before they head out to the challenge.

“Yeah. Shawn is gonna tell her it’s Taylor since she used her idol at the last tribal.”

“Wait, that one won’t be rehidden, right?”

“No, because she didn’t find it here. Zayn has the merge idol. Once he uses that, there’ll be another idol hidden out here.”

“Okay,” Harry nods. “So are we just gonna pile all of our votes on Camila? Get Perrie and Taylor, too?”

“Is it ever that easy?” Louis asks.

Harry shrugs. “Maybe it can be.” 

**

“Zayn wins! His first individual immunity of the season!” Jeff calls out when Zayn’s dominoes fall along his beam to hit the gong at the end.

Louis pushes his dominoes over in frustration. They fall over and hit his gong. He was only a split second behind Zayn the whole challenge. 

_Oh well._

“Zayn, come on over.”

Everyone claps as Zayn has the immunity necklace placed around his neck.

“Zayn has a one in seven shot at winning this game. For the rest of you, somebody will become another member of the jury. Grab your stuff and head out, I’ll see you tonight.”

**

“So, we’re just gonna pile the votes on Camila, then?” Taylor asks. “What if she has an idol? She would single handedly decide who goes home, and you’re telling her to vote for me!” Taylor throws her arms up in frustration.

“Hey, listen to me, Tay.” Louis tries to calm her down. “You’re still here. You know why? Because I could read you. I knew you had an idol the second Karlie was voted out. And guess what? I can read Camila, too. She doesn’t have an idol.”

Taylor stops pacing back and forth. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.” 

**

“Perrie? You got it, right? If she asks, the vote tonight is Taylor.”

“Yeah, I got it.” Perrie bites at her nails nervously. “I just don’t know if Camila is the right move.”

“Listen, there’s never a perfect move.” Louis shrugs. “But this is Shawn’s move, and I told him I’d give it to him.”

“Okay, then what happens when Shawn makes it to the end and gets to tell the jury all about how he took out his girlfriend to get further in the game?”

Louis draws his lips together.

_I’ll just need a better resume than that._

**

“We’ll now bring in the members of our jury. Karlie, Luke, and Julia, voted out at the last tribal council.

Karlie and Luke file in happily as usual, whereas Julia is all cleaned up, but she looks angry. There is a permanent looking scowl painted on her face. 

“So, nine of you left. Are the lines still blurred?” Jeff asks.

“Absolutely. People vote differently every night. I was left out of the last one, for obvious reasons.” Niall gestures towards Julia, sitting on the jury bench. “But that doesn’t necessarily put me in this box where I’ll be fighting from the bottom every week.”

“Just to add to what Niall said,” Louis says, raising his hand.

He looks over at Julia who just rolls her eyes at him. 

_I need some jury management here._

“The same goes for a majority, too. Just because you call the shots on one vote, doesn’t mean you’ll be taking charge for the next.”

“And did you call the shots for the last vote, Louis?” Jeff asks.

“I did. Julia was a threat, so I hatched a plan to take her out and pulled the strings I needed to in order to get it done.” When Louis looks back over towards Julia, she seems to have relaxed slightly upon Louis referring to her as a threat.

“So are you saying that you’re not the one calling the shots tonight?” 

Louis takes a breath. “That is what I’m saying.” 

“Does anybody want to own up to calling the shots tonight?”

Louis glances down to the front row and sees Zayn pinching Shawn’s back, as if to warn him to keep his mouth shut.

“I think that’s something that could be saved for a discussion at the final tribal council.” Louis laughs.

“Speaking of the final tribal council, I previously asked who had a clear final three in their head. Has that image changed for anyone?” 

“Mine has.” Harry says. 

_What?_

“And why is that?” Jeff asks. 

“Because Julia is sitting over there, instead of over here.”

Louis looks to Julia, who is now actually smiling.

_That’s jury management if I ever heard it._

“Okay, so why did you write her name down at the last tribal council then?” Camila calls him out. 

_Good!_

_Wait._

_No. It was a dumb thing to say but don’t call Harry out._

Harry looks at Camila, as if to challenge her remark. “Sometimes, you have to sacrifice something that you want to satisfy the greater good.”

“Poetic, coming from someone who stepped down to get coffee.” Camila mumbles. 

“We have to make tough decisions in this game, and that was one of them.” Harry continues, clearly looking like the better person in this dispute. “And one of those decisions is to adapt, everyday. Julia was part of my final three, but now she’s on the jury, so I have to choose to adapt. It’s just that easy.”

_Good! Call her out, Harry!_

“Wow!” Jeff exclaims. “So is this particular vote about adapting for anyone?”

“I would say yeah, probably.” Shawn answers. 

“Well, let’s get to it then.”

**

Nobody plays an idol, which is exactly what Louis expected, and so Jeff reads the votes. 

“Tenth person voted out of this game, and the fourth member of our jury, Camila. That’s five, that’s enough. You need to bring me your torch.”

“Don’t trust loverboy, over here.” Camila looks at Louis, as she carries her torch over to Jeff.

It turns out, sometimes it can be as easy as piling all the votes on one person. In what turned out to be an eight to one split, Camila walked away from tribal council looking slightly betrayed by Shawn’s decision to write her name down.

But like Harry said, this game calls for tough decisions. 

And as long as that doesn’t include writing Harry’s name down, Louis is alright with whatever tough decisions anyone else makes. 


	5. the loved ones visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some family time !! feat gemma and lottie (the superior styles-tomlinson duo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> truly honoured if you're still reading

DAY 28

“Come on in, guys!” 

Everyone dredges in, spirits drained. Four weeks feels like forever. 

_Just eleven more days._

“You guys look exhausted. And sometimes all you need to fix that,” Jeff pauses.

Louis’ eyes start to tear up immediately. He grabs Harry’s hand.

“Is a little love from the outside world.”

Perrie drops to her knees in the sand, head in her hands. 

“Niall. Are you ready for a little love?” Jeff asks.

Niall just nods.

“Let’s bring out your brother. Greg, come on out!” 

Niall starts to jump up and down as his brother comes sprinting out, wrapping him up in his arms immediately. They pat each other on the back profusely.

“How’s Theo?” Niall asks, finally detaching himself from his brother.

“He’s good, he’s good. How are you? Look at you, man!” 

Louis feels tears stream down his cheeks upon watching this interaction. He can’t wait to see his sister. She came out here last time he played, but he didn’t win the challenge, and Eleanor didn’t pick him to join her on the reward, so she didn’t get to experience it much.

“Niall, talk to me about your relationship with your brother.” 

“It’s great, Jeff. You know, he’s a bit older than me so we weren’t all that close growing up, but now, he’s my best friend. Helps me out with everything.”

“Alright, Greg, come hang out over here for a while.” Jeff gestures to the mat beside him, then turns to Taylor. 

She beams, knowing it’s her turn.

“Taylor, are you ready to see your best friend, Abigail?”

Taylor squeals excitedly as Abigail comes jogging out. They hug tightly until Jeff asks about their friendship. 

“Abigail, talk to me about Taylor. How did you meet?” 

Abigail wipes tears from her own face. “It was freshman year. She sat next to me and soon enough we were best friends, laughing at all the other girls who thought they were too cool. We’ve been there for each other through everything. The failures, the break-ups. We always go through it together. If she’s crying, so am I.”

Louis realizes he’s still holding Harry’s hand when Harry gives it a squeeze. He then becomes acutely aware at the clamminess of his hand, but Harry doesn’t seem to mind. 

“Kind of like us.” Harry leans in and whispers slowly.

_Yeah, and Taylor fell in love with Karlie instead of her best friend._

_Just like us._

Louis snaps out of his thoughts of Harry and returns to thinking about seeing Lottie any second now, which gives him another burst of emotion. He turns his head into Harry’s shoulder, and Harry doesn’t say anything as Louis cries. 

“Alright, Abigail. Just step over here with Greg. Perfect.” Jeff turns back to the group. “Liam. Are you ready?”

“More than anything.” Liam wipes at his own tears.

“Karen, come on out!”

“Mom!” Liam calls as she comes running around the corner.

They share an embrace and Louis doesn’t know when he zones out, but suddenly it’s just him and Harry left. Perrie got to see her best friend Jesy, then Zayn’s sister Safaa showed up, and Shawn’s sister Aaliyah, after that. 

“Alright, Harry. Here’s your sister, Gemma!” 

Gemma comes in full speed, launching herself into Harry’s arms, and Louis finds it in him to laugh briefly. 

“I miss you, Gems.”

“Shut up,” she replies. “I’m so proud of you.” She lets go of Harry and looks at Louis. “And you too, Louis.” 

Louis looks over to Jeff hopefully. When Jeff sighs but nods, Louis runs over to join Gemma and Harry where they’re standing. He wraps his arms around Gemma.

“Are you okay?” She whispers.

“No.” He whispers right back, pulling away.

Gemma wipes Louis’ eyes, then turns back to Harry. 

“Are you okay?”

Harry nods, smiling lazily at his sister, before engulfing her in one more hug. “Alright, Gemma. Come on over here. Now I guess you boys both might as well stay right there, because here is Louis’ sister, Lottie.” 

Lottie comes out and Louis wraps his arms around her, kissing the top of her head repeatedly. 

“I miss you, loser.” She says, pulling away from Louis to look at him. “God, look at you.” She reaches up to touch his face. “Barely recognizable.”

Harry raises his hand from beside them. “I beg to differ.” 

“Hi, Harry.” Lottie turns to give Harry a quick hug. “I hope you’re taking care of my brother.”

“Of course.” Harry replies seriously.

Louis snorts. “Oh, please.” 

The three of them laugh, then Jeff asks Lottie to move to the side. 

“Alright, are you guys ready to get to today’s challenge? You’re playing for love, so I think it’ll be worth it.” 

Jeff explains the challenge, then gets them set up at their stations. 

“In this round, the first six to finish move on. Survivors ready? Go!”

Louis takes off. He has a sudden burst of energy. He leaps over the pole, then ducks under it as necessary in order to untangle his rope. He hears Lottie cheering for him, but doesn’t look back until he reaches his flag.

“Louis will be the first to move on to round two. We’re looking for five more!” Jeff narrates.

_Come on, Harry._

Louis watches as Harry reaches his flag, then turns to smile at Lottie and Gemma sitting on the bleachers. He watches as Gemma puts an arm around Lottie and pulls her close, waving to Louis with the other hand.

Louis looks over and sees Harry watching this interaction, too.

“Alright, Taylor and Liam are out of this challenge. Everyone else, let’s get you set up for round two.”

**

“We have our final three for this challenge. Louis, Shawn and Perrie, facing off to win an afternoon with their loved ones.”

_I need this. I need to win for Harry._

“Survivors ready? Go!” 

**

“Louis! Wins reward! An afternoon away from camp with his sister, Lottie!”

Lottie goes running out into the sand, pouncing on Louis. “This makes up for last time!” She yells, laughing as he spins her around.

Once everyone is settled back on the mat, Louis knows what’s coming next.

“Alright, Louis.” Jeff puts a hand on his shoulder. “You have a tough choice to make. Pick one other person and their loved one to join you for the day.” 

Louis hates this. He looks at all of their pleading faces. And it’s tough to guess how many people Jeff is going to allow him to pick. 

The only thing he knows for sure is: “Harry.” 

Louis looks over to Jeff, who is looking at him with questioning eyes. “These guys are my family. It wouldn’t even be a true loved ones visit if they weren’t with me.”

Harry and Gemma walk over to the mat, and Gemma hugs Louis quickly. “Thanks, kid.” 

“Alright, Louis. Pick one more person to join you.”

Everyone looks more desperate than before. They knew he would choose Harry, but now they think this is his last pick. 

“Louis, please.” Perrie begs. “This was the deal.”

This catches everyone’s attention.

“Actually, Perrie. This wasn’t the deal. The deal was that if you won, you picked me. That’s why I gave up immunity that day.”

Perrie looks down, ashamed at her failed attempt to guilt Louis into choosing her. 

“This is so hard.” Louis says, not pretending at all. This is a crucial moment. Who he chooses will make some relationships and break others. Which is what makes his decision.

“Okay. I’m gonna take Niall.”

Niall pumps his fist in the air, then brings his brother over, leaving everyone else standing, looking somewhat dejected.

But once again, this is basic jury management. Louis already knows he has Zayn and Liam. But if Niall ends up on the jury, he’ll remember this moment.

“Alright, that settles it. The six of you will have a nice afternoon picnic on the island across from your camp. Everyone else, say goodbye to your loved ones. You’ll be heading back to camp.”

Louis watches as everyone hugs their loved ones one last time, and he automatically tightens his hold around both Lottie and Gemma. 

Louis pulls Lottie in with him and turns to group hug with Harry and Gemma.

Winning this time around is far more satisfying than if he had won this visit in his first season. Lottie was wrong; this doesn’t make up for last time. He was meant to lose, so that he could fully appreciate this win.

**

“Cheers!” They say together, as they clink their glasses full of fruit juice. 

“I’m so glad this isn’t more alcohol,” Louis laughs. “I’ve gotten drunk out here twice, and that’s far more than enough.”

“Speak for yourself.” Niall mumbles, setting his glass down. 

Greg laughs. “You’re fine. We’ll go on an absolute bender when you get home.”

Niall looks at him in mock horror. “You have a son, man.”

Everyone laughs. 

They continue to eat, laughing and sharing stories, the three castaways talking about what’s happening on the island while their loved ones talk about what’s happening at home. The afternoon flies by. Eventually, Niall and Greg wander off on their own, leaving Louis and Harry with their sisters.

Gemma leans in and whispers something to Lottie. 

Lottie stands up, finishes the drink in her glass, then grabs Harry’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go for a walk! I’ve been out here before, and obviously so has Louis. Might as well leave your sister with the pro for a few minutes.”

Harry just shrugs, looking back at Louis as Lottie drags him away. “Okay. Spill.” Gemma says immediately, once the camera crew follow Harry and Lottie. 

“What?”

“Louis, you said you’re not okay. Does this have anything to do with Harry? You know, I told him that going along with this would be really difficult emotionally. But did he listen? No. He was too excited to come out here with you.” Gemma rambles on, until she notices Louis with tears in his eyes. “Oh, babe.”

Gemma reaches over and takes Louis’ hand in hers. “You can tell me.”

Louis figures he’s already crying. Why bother lying? “I love him, Gem.” 

“Oh, Louis. What?” Gemma rubs her thumb over the back of Louis’ hand.

“It’s so hard because he’s faking. But I really love him. I don’t know why I didn’t realize before we came out here. But he’s all I want. I just want this to be real.” Louis tries to control himself, tries to stop the tears.

“Does he know that?”

“No,” Louis admits softly. “Anytime I ever try to talk about it, he brushes it off.”

“Talk about what exactly?” Gemma asks curiously. 

“Our relationship. When he kisses me, it doesn’t feel like we’re just pretending. But that’s what it is. So it’s confusing but every time I’ve tried to ask, he-”

“I’m sorry, you guys have kissed?”

“A few times…” 

“Do you want me to just ask him?”

“No!” Louis yells instantly. “I mean, no, thanks. We need to finish the game first. I’ll just have to deal with it when we get home.”

“Louis, I don’t know if that’s such a good… Hey, guys. Back so soon?” Gemma shoots Lottie a look, and Harry squints his eyes at Louis as he continues to wipe at his eyes. 

“Are you okay, Lou?” Harry asks before Lottie can say anything. He sits down next to Louis and puts a hand on his cheek.

Louis looks at the ground, and Gemma watches with a look of sadness on her face. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis laughs. “Gemma just made me miss being home with you.”

Harry thumbs under Louis’ eye. “Okay,” he says doubtfully, before pulling his hand away. 

Time is running down, so Louis and Harry hug the girls one last time. 

“You’ll be alright, Louis. Hang in there just a little bit longer.” Gemma whispers as she wraps her arms around him. She pulls away, then brings him close one more time. “I believe in you guys. You need to believe in him, too.”

Louis nods and then hugs his own sister one last time.

“When this is over, you need to come live with me for at least a month.” She wipes away tears.

“I know. I’ll come visit more often, okay?” He holds her tighter. “I miss you,” he says, then adds, “thanks for coming, Lottie.”

She pulls away. “Don’t think I had much of a choice.”

They both laugh.

As the girls walk away, Louis wraps an arm around Harry’s waist, waving them off to their boat, before heading to their own, where they’ll go back to camp.

_Eleven more days._

**

“Hey guys, how was it?” Shawn asks when they get back.

“It was good, yeah,” Niall answers. “Sorry you didn’t get to hang out with your sister.”

“It’s alright,” Shawn says, sounding genuine. “I obviously can’t blame Louis for picking Harry, and then he only got one more. I’m glad it was you.”

Louis meets eyes with Zayn, but forces himself to keep it together in front of everyone. 

“Alright, well,” Louis claps his hands together. “We have five tribals left before final tribal council on day thirty-nine, so I feel pretty confident in saying that we get tomorrow off. So, why don’t we just chill out tonight and not worry about anything.”

“I agree.” Shawn says. “This game is more exhausting than Camila ever made it sound and I’ll take any relaxation I can get.” 

“Go for a swim?” Niall asks.

And then they’re off.

**

“Okay, if we talk strategy right now just very quickly then we won’t even have to think about it tomorrow.”

Louis groans as Zayn finishes his sentence. He knows he’s right, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. 

“Listen man, we need a plan. We’re the only couples left. You know that Niall and Shawn are gonna flip to vote with Taylor and Perrie.” Zayn sounds adamant. 

“He’s right.” Harry nods along. “So we need to force that tie.”

“Are you crazy? You know it’s you they’re gonna come after if you lose immunity.” 

“I know, Louis. But do you think they’d be willing to draw rocks?”

“He has a point.” Liam agrees with Harry’s crazy idea.

“No!” Louis protests steadfastly. “Listen, we have three idols between us. We’ll just burn one and still have two more. We could use Zayn’s from the merge feast and then find the new one and have three again, even!” 

“Okay. That’s a possibility,” Zayn says, clearly trying to calm Louis down. “But maybe not even necessary. Harry’s right, Louis. They know we’re not gonna flip on you guys. So one of them will because they don’t want to have to draw rocks.” 

“Or,” Louis goes on. “We deadlock. Then we have to decide unanimously or it’s rocks.”

“That just gave me an idea,” Liam smiles. “But one of us four has to win immunity.”

**

“Thanks for choosing me today, Lou.” Harry says when they’re alone by the fire at night.

Louis turns to look at Harry and laughs. “Did you think I wouldn’t?” 

Harry just shrugs, then rests his head on Louis’ shoulder. “I don’t know.”

Louis sighs. “I’ll always choose you.”

Harry lifts his head back up, just enough to kiss Louis’ temple, then places it back on his shoulder. “Hey, what did Gemma say to you today that upset you?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it, babe.”

**

DAY 29

“Noooo,” Louis whines as Harry tries to wake him in the morning. “We’re supposed to relax today.”

“Louis, get up. Seriously.”

“Harry, just lay back down.”

“Louis.” Harry says sternly. “Something bad happened.” 

Louis sits up abruptly. “What is it?”

“It’s Taylor. She cut herself really bad.”

**

Everyone gathers around the medical team treating Taylor’s wound.

“Alright Taylor,” Doctor Joe says as he finishes wrapping her arm. “We’re going to say that you are able to stay in the game. It will be difficult for you obviously, but I think it would be safe enough. That being said, I’m sure you must be in a lot of pain, so it’s your decision to make.”

Louis watches with sympathy. There’s only ten days left, but when you’re injured, it feels much longer than it actually is.

Taylor glances up at everyone. “I think I’ll stay for now and keep you updated. Thanks, doctor.”

The medical team cleans up and clears the area, and everyone swarms around Taylor again. 

“What happened, Tay?” Lous squats down beside her. 

Taylor sighs. “I was just trying to cut open a coconut. The hatchet slipped. I just clipped myself, really. But there was a lot of blood so better safe than sorry.” She winces as she laughs.

Louis puts a hand on her back before standing, backing off along with everyone else, giving her space.

“You should just hang out in the shelter today. Let us know if you need anything.”

**

“Do you think this will change their minds? They won’t try to vote me out anymore?” Harry asks nervously, though he was all in on forcing a tie between him and Taylor the previous day. 

“I honestly don’t know, babe.” Louis shrugs. “I guess you’ll just have to win immunity tomorrow.” He nudges Harry with his elbow jokingly.

“As if.” Harry mutters.

“Hey,” Louis turns to face him. “What’s that all about?”

“Nothing. I just haven’t won one yet, so I don’t think it’ll happen when I need it the most.”

“Harry, you idiot. You would have won at least twice if you hadn’t been so selfless. I will never forget that you let me win. And you shouldn’t forget it, either.”

This gets a smile out of Harry. Louis takes a deep breath. “Come here.” 

Harry smiles and lays his head down in Louis’ lap. “I’m happy when I’m with you, too, Louis.”

“Hmm?” Louis cards his fingers through Harry’s hair. It feels natural at this point. More than that, it feels right. 

“A few days ago I asked if you were happy. And you said that you are with me. But I just wanted you to know that I’m happy when I’m with you, too.”

Louis leans forward and watches Harry’s eyes flutter shut as he presses a kiss into his forehead. “Good.”

Harry opens his eyes momentarily, just long enough to catch Louis smiling down at him, then closes them shut and smiles as Louis begins to trace his fingertips along his cheek. 

_I think he knows._

**

“Doing okay, Taylor?”

“Yeah, thanks Liam.”

“You guys go ahead. We’ll hang out here with Taylor.” Perrie shoos the boys away.

_Not subtle._

“Alright,” Louis says once they’re a few feet away. “Couples night, I guess.”

They chuckle. 

“You’re kind of right. If they’re gonna kick us out, we might as well make an evening of it.” Zayn says.

They walk along the beach for a while before deciding to stop and sit in the sand. They sit huddled together, speaking lowly above the sound of the water. The sun begins to set, and they sit in silence to take it in. Zayn sits between Liam’s legs, leaning back against his chest, and Harry does the same with Louis when he notices how they’re sitting. Louis wraps his arms over Harry's chest and around his shoulders. The whole thing is just comfortable. 

As time goes on, it gets colder out, and Liam announces he’s going to bed, asking Zayn if he wants to join. 

“I’ll be in right after you,” Zayn kisses the back of Liam’s hand, then lets it go so he can walk away. “I love you.”

“See you soon.” 

Zayn turns back to Louis and Harry, who are still sitting pressed together. 

“You guys are so cute, you know.” He smiles at them.

Harry and Louis just look at each other.

“Thanks, Z.” Louis laughs.

“I mean it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any two other people so obviously made for each other.”

Louis is thankful it’s getting dark, so Harry can’t see the red rising to his cheeks. 

“I can’t say I disagree.” Harry answers, turning his head towards Louis’ neck to kiss lightly. Not leading anywhere, but brief, and still somehow intimate with Zayn there.

“I think part of it is because of the way you can’t keep your hands off each other. You always have to be touching, somehow.” Zayn laughs.

Harry leans further back into Louis, tilting his head to rest on his shoulder as he simultaneously wraps an arm up and around the back of Louis’ neck, as if trying to prove Zayn’s point.

“Okay, this is getting a little too affectionate for me. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” Zayn stands up and brushes himself off, casting one last smile down at the two before turning around to head back to the shelter. 

As soon as he’s gone, Harry spins around to face Louis, who bursts out into a fit of giggles. 

“What?” Harry leans back to watch Louis as he covers his face and laughs. 

“Nothing.” Louis can’t stop laughing.

Harry suddenly grips tight onto Louis’ shoulders.

Louis draws a sharp breath in. He’s not laughing anymore. 

“What’s so funny, Louis?” Harry leans in close, whispering the words as if he wants Louis to taste them.

Louis tilts his chin up to meet Harry’s lips. 

_How am I ever gonna go back to not kissing him?_

_Think about it later. He’s not thinking about it right now. I don’t need to either._

Things heat up quickly and Louis realizes Zayn was right. He can’t stop touching Harry. The whole time they kiss, his hands are travelling along Harry’s body, only ever stopping occasionally to tug on his hair or to lightly dig his fingernails into his back. 

If there had been cameras on them before, surely they were long gone. 

Louis detaches his lips from Harry's with a smack. “This is okay, yeah?” He pants.

Harry just nods, and then gasps into Louis’ mouth when he kisses him again. 

**

“Louis?” Harry whispers in the dark of the shelter once they lay down facing each other. 

“What?” Louis whispers back, not wanting to wake anyone.

“You’re the prettiest person I know.” 

Louis scoffs. “Goodnight, baby.” He rolls over and slides back towards Harry.

Harry hooks his chin over Louis’ shoulder, turning his head to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s new.”

“What is?” Louis asks, already half asleep, enveloped in Harry’s warmth.

“You’ve never called me baby before.” Harry says softly.

“Oh.” Louis is wide awake again. “Sorry.”

“I never said I didn’t like it.”

Louis remains quiet.

“Goodnight, Louis.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

**

DAY 30

“Taylor, are you gonna be okay to partake in this challenge?”

“Honestly,” Taylor laughs, looking down at her gauzed-up arm. “I don’t know. But why not give it a shot?”

“Alright,” Jeff nods firmly. “Let’s get started, then.”

**

“Louis! Wins immunity!” 

Harry runs over to Louis and jumps into his arms in celebration.

On the outside, Louis celebrates his win as everyone claps and congratulates him. But he’s nervous for Harry.

_What if Liam flips?_

**

“Okay, so this is really what we wanna go with? I feel like that might make us look cocky. Especially in the eyes of the jury.” Zayn says.

Louis shrugs. “Or it’ll get a big reaction out of them and be seen as a smart and confident move. I think Liam is right about this.”

“Plus,” Liam jumps in. “Now we’ll never have to use that idol nullifier we found together, Louis.”

Louis remains quiet.

“But how will they know who we’re gonna vote for?” Harry asks, ignoring Liam’s last comment.

“They’ll know.”

**

“So, Louis. Sitting at tribal council at the final eight with immunity around your neck. How does that feel?” Jeff asks later that night. 

“It feels incredible. This feels like the biggest vote we’ve had so far. Whatever happens tonight will determine the rest of the game.”

“So you need it to go your way?”

“Well, everyone needs it to go their way. But unfortunately, not everyone can have their way.”

“Now, Zayn, is this gonna be an interesting vote?”

“What do you mean, Jeff?” Zayn replies, not wanting to give too much away before clarifying the context. 

“I mean, there is a clear and equal division in this group. Do you know what it is?”

Zayn barks out a laugh. “If I said no, millions of people would say I’m the most oblivious Survivor player ever. But I can assure you, I know what it is. Just look at how we’re sitting.”

Louis is sitting next to Harry, with Zayn and Liam sitting in front of them in the first row. The four single players are sitting to their right, with Niall and Shawn in the top row, and Taylor and Perrie in front of them.

“So how is that gonna play out? Are the lines more blurred than they appear?” 

“Always.” Zayn nods. 

“So, with Louis being the only one who is safe tonight-”

“Actually,” Louis interrupts, and all of the single players turn to face him, heads turning quickly. “I held onto all of these because I figured nobody would go through the bag of the person who won immunity,” Louis reaches into his bag. “Smart call, right?” He laughs.

Harry reaches over to help as Louis struggles. 

“Okay, they’re in here somewhere. Harry, hold this.” He hands off an item of clothing. 

Jeff starts to laugh, as does the jury.

“What? I’ve got a lot of stuff in here.” Louis continues to dig through his bag. “Oh! Okay, here we go. Harry,” he pulls out an idol. “This one’s for you.”

Harry smiles and puts the small necklace on.

“And just to increase our odds, these ones are for you, boys!” Louis pulls out two more idols and hands them to Zayn and Liam in front of them, who put them on, as well. 

The jury has a big reaction to this event and they begin whispering to one another. 

Louis hopes they’re saying good things.

“Wow!” Jeff exclaims. 

“So, if any of you would care to flip, we would be happy to discuss options with you.” Louis puts his arms out for emphasis. 

This sparks the beginning of a wild tribal council. 

Everyone is on their feet, forming little groups, or in pairs, whispering to one another before jumping over to talk to someone new. 

Jeff and the jury just sit back and watch. 

“Louis, this is insane…” Niall runs a hand through his hair.

“What’s insane about it? We came prepared. We knew that you and Shawn would jump to work with the girls. Perrie has been flaky with me this whole season. I knew this would happen.” 

“You’re right, you’re right. Listen, who are you guys gonna target?”

“Are you gonna vote with us?” Louis looks at Niall questioningly.

“As long as it’s not me.”

Louis nods. “Give me a second.”

Louis waves over Harry, Zayn and Liam to form a small huddle on one side of tribal council.

“So? What did you guys gather?”

“I don’t think Perrie is gonna flip.” Zayn shakes his head. “She’s so stubborn.”

“Okay,” Louis says. “What about Shawn?” 

“Maybe?” Liam shrugs. “But it seems like he’s really depending on what Niall decides.” He nods in the direction of the other four. “Looks like they’re discussing it right now.”

Harry pokes his head around Louis to watch their conversation. “Looks like it’s getting heated.”

Louis looks at Zayn. “Five bucks says they start making out.”

“What?” Harry and Liam say together as Zayn laughs.

“Nothing.” Louis shakes his head. “Let’s refocus. Are we sticking with Taylor at least?”

“I think we should.” Zayn nods. “And then just hope that one of them flips?”

Louis turns around. “Okay, you guys know what’s happening. It’s up to you on how you want this to play out.”

Everyone takes their seats again.

“Are we ready to vote?” Jeff asks.

“I guess so.” 

**

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Louis glances at the three boys beside him. “Harry, I think you should.”

But Harry is looking across at the other four. 

“Harry,” Louis says sternly through clenched teeth. “If you don’t do it, I will.”

Harry doesn’t look up at Louis, but continues to study faces on the other side. 

“Harry!”

“Shut up, Louis.” Harry snaps. “Just shut up.” 

“Okay,” Jeff nods. “I’ll read the votes.” 

Louis puts his head in his hands.

_It’ll be alright._

“First vote,” Jeff opens the parchment. “Harry.”

“Taylor.”

“Harry. That’s two votes Harry, one vote Taylor.”

“Taylor. We’re tied. That’s two votes Harry, two votes Taylor.”

“Harry. That’s three votes Harry.”

“Taylor. Tied again. Three votes Harry, three votes Taylor.”

“Liam. That’s three votes Harry, three votes Taylor, one vote Liam. One vote left.”

Perrie turns to look at Taylor. “What did you do?” She wraps her arms around her.

Louis looks at Taylor, who gives him a small smile when she notices. 

“Eleventh person voted out of this game and the fifth member of our jury, Taylor. That’s four, that’s enough. You need to bring me your torch.”

Taylor stands up with a smile on her face, grabs her torch, then walks over to the boys’ side. She gives Harry a quick hug before turning to Louis. 

“You need to trust your boy.” She shrugs, then turns to head over to Jeff.

Louis looks at Harry, but he’s watching Taylor go.

She turns around again. “Thank you three for sticking with me even through the dramatics,” she laughs. “But I was deadweight anyways with my arm. It’s best to let you guys play hard until the end. Good luck!”

“Taylor,” Jeff says as she puts down her torch. “The tribe has spoken. It’s time for you to go.”

She turns and waves one last time, and then she’s gone.

“I can’t believe she did that.” Zayn whispers, shaking his head.

“I can.” Harry whispers, and Louis doesn’t look over.

**

“That was crazy.” Liam says when they get back to camp. “Harry, did you know she was gonna do that?” 

“She didn’t tell me explicitly. But I had a feeling.” Harry shrugs.

“Yeah, and your feeling lead us to still having three idols in the final seven!” Liam slaps Harry on the back before walking away to find Zayn.

Harry goes to walk away too, but Louis stops him.

“Hey,” he grabs Harry’s arm. “How did you know?”

“She told me she was going home tonight. That there wouldn’t be a tie.”

“So why didn’t you say that at tribal when I was telling you to play your idol?”

Harry laughs. “There are three prongs. My fork reasons.”

Louis hits him playfully. “Dork. What are they?”

“The first was that when we reconvened, you never asked if Taylor was gonna flip. You were so concerned about one of the other three flipping on her, you didn’t even consider the possibility of her flipping.”

“Fair enough.”

“The second,” Harry continues. “Is because at that moment, I was trying to read her to make sure she really did what I thought she was gonna do.”

“You wanted to make sure she threw away her vote.”

“Exactly.” Harry nods.

“So, what’s the last reason?” 

“Oh,” Harry laughs. “It was just nice to see you so concerned about protecting me in this game.” He winks and then retreats his body as Louis reaches out to hit him in the stomach jokingly. 

“You absolute idiot.” 

“You love it.” 

**

DAY 31

For another day off, everyone lounges around camp nearly all day. They chat, share stories, laugh, start a fire and eat some rice, then lounge around lazily some more. Eventually, as the sun begins to set, Niall gets up and Shawn follows him, sparking the splitting up of their group.

“Wanna go for a walk on the beach? We can find a spot to watch the sunset.” Louis jabs Harry’s side insistently. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry laughs, prodding at Louis’ hand. “Okay.” 

They get up and start walking together in silence. Suddenly, Harry slips his hand into Louis’. When Louis finally turns to look at Harry, Harry stops walking. 

“What is it?” Louis asks, stopping his forward motion and letting go of Harry’s hand.

“Nothing,” Harry shakes his head. “You’re just so beautiful, Louis.” 

Louis doesn’t know what to say to that.

“It’s funny,” Harry laughs softly. “I mean, I noticed it before, you know?”

“Noticed what?”

“At home, whenever you walk into a room, people’s eyes are just drawn to you. Everyone is always looking at you to admire your beauty.”

“Well, I only want you to be looking at me.”

Louis realizes what he’s said once it’s already too late to laugh it off. Instead, he continues walking. To his surprise, or maybe unsurprisingly, Harry slips his hand in Louis’ once again, pretending nothing even happened. 

**

DAY 32

“Louis? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, Zayn.”

“You’ve seemed a little off all day today. Just wanted to check in.”

Louis smiles indifferently. “I appreciate it.”

Zayn walks away and leaves Louis alone once again.

_He’s gotta go next._

**

The whole afternoon, Louis sits alone, back against a tree trunk. He’s caught up in his thoughts, thinking only of the game, and how to play out this last week in a way that not only gets him to the end, but gives him the win when he gets there.

He’s always had the mindset of not being out here to make friends. But he still values the relationships he’s built, including that with Zayn. He hopes Zayn will get over it if Louis takes him out.

Because he has to. 

Louis knows that if he sits at the end with Zayn, he might not win. So he needs to get rid of him before the final four. The problem is that if he waits until five, he might not have the numbers. It might be him and Harry against the other three.

If he waits until six, there might be a tie. Louis knows that sometimes drawing rocks shows how competitive you are in this game, but he doesn’t like the one in four odds of going home in case of a tie. Unless of course he forces the tie between himself and Zayn. Then he would automatically be safe. But Harry would have the one in four chance of drawing the odd rock. He can’t knowingly put Harry in that position.

So Zayn has to go at seven. 

Louis’ head hurts. 

**

“Hey, are you doing alright?” Liam asks as he walks by Louis.

Louis doesn’t catch what he says. “Sorry?”

Liam stops walking, looking concerned. “I asked if you’re alright. You’ve been gone for hours.”

“Have I?” Louis’ lost track of time. “I didn’t even realize.”

“Well, we’re gonna start the fire right away. Obviously, we’d love it if you joined us.” 

Liam walks away, and Louis gets back to thinking. 

He doesn’t join them for the fire. 

**

“Louis?” 

Louis can hear Harry’s footsteps approaching behind him. This is the first time Harry’s come out to find him. Maybe Louis could confide in Harry about what he’s been thinking about all day.

“Hey, Haz.”

“Can we talk about something?” Harry sits next to Louis on the ground.

_I don’t have the energy for this right now._

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay, I don’t really even know how to start this.”

Louis is suddenly slightly concerned. “Just say it.”

“Okay. I think you were right.”

Louis raises his eyebrows, waiting for Harry to explain himself further. 

Harry shies away slightly. “I was just thinking about something you said yesterday. And I think maybe we should talk about this. About us. You know?”

Louis can’t stop himself from groaning out loud. “No,” he finally says, after a moment’s pause.

“What?” Harry asks quietly. 

“I said no, Harry. Just play the damn game.” Louis snaps, standing up.

“Louis, I didn’t mean to-” 

But Louis is already walking away.

_I really didn’t have the energy for that._

**

Harry avoids Louis for the rest of the evening. But he’s still lying awake when Louis finally slips into the shelter next to him. 

“Harry?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Louis rolls over to face Harry. “You just caught me at a bad time. But that’s not an excuse. I’m sorry, Haz.” He brings a hand up to Harry’s cheek, brushes it gently, and then pulls it away.

Harry sighs. “It’s alright. I kind of deserved it anyways.”

Louis lets out a soft giggle in the quiet of the night. “Yeah, you kind of did.”

Harry laughs quickly, then goes silent again. “Okay, but we’re still going to, right?” 

“Going to what?”

“Talk? Later?” Harry asks, visibly nervous.

“Harry, you were the one who said we would. And I’ll hold you to it.” Louis whispers.

“I just almost wish we had talked more about it before coming out here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Harry sighs. “I knew this would be hard. But I didn’t know our relationship would be the hardest part of all.”

Louis nods, small enough for the motion to go unnoticed by Harry. “Yeah,” he agrees, swallowing his feelings. 

Harry hums, then leans forward to kiss Louis briefly.

“What was that for?”

“Nothing. It’s just already been over seventy-two hours since the last time I kissed you.”

“And?”

“I couldn’t go any longer.” 

**

DAY 33

“Good morning.” Louis hears Harry whisper.

He can already feel the sun shining into the shelter. But as he looks around, he realizes nobody else is awake yet. 

“Did you sleep alright?” 

Louis hums. “Yeah, did you?”

Harry wraps an arm around Louis’ waist and moves closer. “Yeah, but I don’t wanna get up yet.”

“Okay. We can just stay here.” 

**

“You’re kidding.” Harry says, as they walk towards the water well.

“I’m really not. We’re down to seven. All we need to do is get two more. It could be Niall and Shawn.” Louis thinks about Perrie, but changes his mind quickly. It’s been a whole month, but he still doesn’t trust her completely. 

“Yeah, I could definitely talk them both into it.” Harry warms up to the idea. “I guess he does need to go.”

“That’s what I’m saying. He’s moving so silently and smartly, but he hasn’t made anybody mad, so if he sits in the final three, he probably beats all of us.”

“So could we not just take out Niall or Shawn right now and give him another vote or two?”

“And then when we drag him to the final four and he wins immunity?”

“Good point.”

“And not to mention, this would be a big move for us. Everyone knows that he and Liam are our best allies in this game.”

“It would be something to add to our resume…”

“Exactly.” 

“Alright. If Zayn doesn’t win immunity tonight,” Harry closes the cap on his canteen. “He’s going home.”

**

“Harry wins! His first individual immunity of the season!”

Louis rushes over to Harry and catches him as Harry jumps into his arms, wrapping his legs around Louis’ body. 

“You did it, babe!” Louis holds tight around Harry’s waist.

Harry jumps back to the ground and smiles at Louis. 

“Harry, come on over.” Jeff calls him to get the necklace put around his neck.

Everyone claps, and Louis lets out a small cheer.

Harry turns around, facing everyone, grinning sheepishly.

Jeff puts a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Harry is safe tonight at tribal council. Has a guaranteed one in six chance of winning this game. For one of you, this journey will come to an end, and you will become a member of our jury. Grab your stuff and head back to camp. See you tonight.” 

**

“Great job, Harry!” 

“Yeah, that was crazy!”

“You did great!”

“Thanks, guys,” Harry answers everyone’s praise as he hangs the immunity necklace up on the tree. “I’m gonna refill canteens. Who needs it?” 

Once everyone hands over their canteens, Harry asks if anybody would like to come, looking directly at Niall. 

Niall agrees to help Harry, and they head off together. 

_I guess I’ll talk to Shawn._

**

“So? How did it go?” Louis asks Harry not long later.

“I think I pulled it off.”

“You think?”

“Louis, I don’t know.” Harry responds, exasperated. “They’re obviously gonna talk about it with each other and make a decision.”

“Okay, relax. It’s okay. We just have to make sure we know who Zayn and Liam are voting for. Then it wouldn’t even matter if Shawn and Niall voted for me.” Louis goes through the logic with Harry.

“Yes, it would. Because you’re forgetting someone.”

_Perrie._

“Oh…”

“So we need to know who she’s voting for, too.”

**

Louis walks along the beach with Zayn and Liam, while Harry reconvenes with both Shawn and Niall together.

“What are we thinking?” Louis asks.

“Well,” Zayn says. “I think I wanna keep Perrie around for a little while, because she’ll be an easy vote later. So I think tonight, we should choose between Shawn and Niall.”

Louis nods along, listening intently, as if he doesn’t already have a plan in motion.

“And,” Liam adds. “I would say Shawn first.”

“I’m okay with that.” Louis says, when he notices Zayn nodding. 

“Okay, so it’s settled. Easy four to three vote. Shawn is going home tonight.”

**

“Perrie, what are you guys thinking for tonight? Who are you voting with?”

“Well,” Perrie drags her fingers through the sand. “I know that if I vote with Niall and Shawn, I’ll be in the minority. So I better vote with you guys.”

“What’s their plan?” 

Perrie looks around. “You.”

_Perfect._

“Okay, listen to me, then. I’m gonna tell you who you need to vote for, and you need to trust me.”

Perrie shrugs. “As long as it’s not me.”

“It won’t be. But if this works,” Louis looks back towards camp. “It’ll be dramatic, for sure.”

Perrie smiles. “I do love the drama of it all.”

**

At tribal council, the fire serves as a great source of heat to combat the chill in the air. Maybe it’s cold, or maybe Louis is just nervous. 

“So, Harry, you finally won an immunity challenge. How does it feel?”

Louis glances over to the jury, and watches them smile and whisper among themselves. He takes note of this. 

“Not great when you put it that way!’

Everyone laughs.

“I just meant that you’ve essentially given it up twice now. It was about time you won it.” Jeff explains his intent behind the previous claim. 

“I know, I’m just joking.” Harry throws it right back. “But honestly, it’s great. Knowing I’ll still be here tomorrow is a great feeling. And we’re so close to the end, we can all see it.”

“But you’re not all going to get there,” Jeff retorts.

“No, no, I guess we can’t.”

“So, Louis, what does the end look like for you?” Jeff asks, knowing Louis was one of few who couldn’t imagine it earlier. “You must be able to see it now.”

“In my head, this game ends with me winning.” Louis shrugs. “So right now, I need to work backwards to see how to get there. It’s kind of like a murder mystery.” 

“Interesting analogy,” Jeff chuckles. 

“I think that’s actually a brilliant strategy,” Zayn comments. “Some people just try to take it day by day, but I think Louis’ method is more long term and strategic.”

“And is that dangerous, Zayn?”

Zayn doesn’t miss a beat. “So dangerous.” 

Louis glances over to Harry, looking at him with worried eyes. Louis just shrugs it off. But secretly, he’s a little worried, too. If things go sideways, he’s going home tonight.

“So, Perrie, what about you? What does the end look like?”

“I already have a final three deal, actually.” Perrie gloats.

_Don’t drag me into this._

“Care to share with whom?” Jeff pries.

“I think that would expose too much of my game. Ask me again at the final four.” 

Everyone laughs. 

“Niall, is it getting easier not having Julia with you?”

“Honestly, I’d say yes. We’re actually at an almost even split between new players and old players, so it’s kind of nice to know I’m not just the only one here trying to go through it on my own. Harry and Shawn are both also new, but Harry still has Louis, so that’s a little different.”

“So would you say you’ve gotten close to Shawn for that reason?”

Niall’s cheeks redden slightly. “Yeah, I mean that’s a pretty big thing to have in common.”

“Shawn,” Jeff moves on quickly. “After tonight’s vote, will there be an even split between new and returning players, or will there be a gap?”

Shawn shakes his head. “It’s a tough call,” he answers, avoiding the question. 

“Alright, let’s get to the vote, shall we? Liam, you’re up first.”

When it’s Louis’ turn, he writes on the parchment with ease, but then hesitates a moment after.

_This better not be wasted._

**

“Alright, if anybody has a hidden immunity idol and they want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Louis looks at Zayn, and finds Zayn looking right back at him. 

After a brief pause, Zayn speaks up. “Jeff.”

The jury seems to love this. 

Zayn reaches into his bag to pull out his idol, then stands up and walks it over to Jeff. He turns directly to Louis and says, “I read you.” 

Jeff takes the idol, examines it, then announces, “this is a hidden immunity idol.” He takes the top off the urn. “But, this is an idol nullifier,” Jeff pulls out the round stone. “And it was played against,” he turns it around. “Zayn. Any votes cast for Zayn will still count.”

The jury is uproared. They’re on their feet, watching everything go down.

“No…” Liam whispers to himself, as he seems to realize what’s happening. 

Louis turns to Zayn. “I read you, too.” 

The jury is still losing it. 

“I’ll read the votes.” Jeff brings everyone back to the moment.

“First vote, Zayn.”

Louis doesn’t look over at Zayn, but he whispers, “sorry, Zayn.”

“Louis.”

“Shawn.”

The jury looks confused, and rightfully so. With only seven left, it could be an easy four to three vote. 

But Louis doesn’t like to do things the easy way. 

“Zayn. That’s two votes Zayn, one vote Louis, one vote Shawn.”

“Louis. That’s two votes Louis, two votes Zayn, one vote Shawn.”

“Shawn. We’re tied. That’s two vote Shawn, two votes Louis, two votes Zayn. One vote left.”

Louis glances at the jury to watch their reactions, then back over to Zayn and gives him a small smile. 

Zayn returns the smile, and is already packing his bag and standing, before Jeff even reads the final vote. 

“Twelfth person voted out and the sixth member of our jury,” Jeff turns the vote around. “Zayn.”

“Wow,” Liam mutters.

“What just happened?” Louis hears from someone on the jury. 

Zayn slings his bag on his shoulder and turns to face Louis with his arms outstretched. 

Louis stands and pulls Zayn into a hug.

“That was a good move, man.” Zayn pats him on the back. When he pulls away, he turns to Liam, who stands up to hug Zayn quickly, as well. 

Liam pulls away, still visibly upset by what went down mere moments ago.

Zayn grabs his torch from behind the stools and brings it over to Jeff.

“Zayn,” Jeff says, as he places his torch down. “The tribe has spoken.”

Louis looks down at the ground, feeling guilty. But he did what he had to do. 

Zayn turns back around to wave one last time. “Hey,” he says, and Louis looks up, but realizes he’s talking to Liam this time. 

“Forgive him and play.”


	6. the final six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the endgame !!! (kind of. i guess. it's the end of the game. so.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you're still enjoying !!!

DAY 34

“Hey, Liam,” Louis approaches when Liam is alone in the early morning. He thought about speaking to Liam last night, but he decided against it. Sleeping on it would probably put him in a slightly better mood. Louis took that chance. 

But then in the morning, Louis really didn’t want to confront Liam. As they lay awake at dawn, Harry encouraged Louis to do so. And he knew Harry was right. He needed to make sure things were patched up before continuing the game. 

“Damn, I was wondering if you were gonna find it in you to talk to me.”

“Listen, I know. And I’m sorry I didn’t sooner.” Louis pleads with Liam. 

He still needs Liam, which may be the biggest consequence to having voted Zayn out.

“I just didn’t know what to say.” Louis says honestly.

“I guess I wouldn’t either.” Liam shrugs casually. 

“Listen man, we can still make it to the end together if you can move past this.”

Liam squints questioningly. “So, what? Like me, you, and Harry?” 

Louis shifts on his feet. “I haven’t decided that yet. Me and you for sure.”

“You’re not being serious.” 

“I really am. I just. I don’t know if I can win if I don’t get rid of Harry.”

This statement seems to win Liam back over. “Alright, man. Me and you.” 

Liam extends his hand, and Louis gladly shakes it. He has every intention of getting rid of Liam at five, but he’s an excellent liar. 

**

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s reward challenge?” 

Everyone nods excitedly, knowing this is probably the last one of the season. 

Jeff explains the challenge, then asks, “wanna know what you’re playing for?”

Louis is busy wondering who is going to be on his team.

“Winning team gets a helicopter ride. A full aerial view of Fiji. You’ll land on Mount Tomanivi for an afternoon lunch before returning to camp.”

Everyone looks excited.

“We’ll draw for teams and then get started.”

**

“Louis, Harry, and Liam! Win reward!” 

“Yeah, boys!” Liam yells, wrapping both Harry and Louis in a hug, and it’s almost as if Louis hadn’t orchestrated Zayn’s vote out the night before.

They settle and gather their things to head out to where the helicopter awaits them. Niall, Shawn, and Perrie all wave them off before heading back to camp. 

They take their seats, put on their headsets, and the helicopter whirs as the engine starts. It’s loud and Louis can feel it thrumming through his veins. 

“This is crazy!” Harry yells as it takes off, lifting into the air. 

Louis looks down and regrets it immediately.

“You’re not scared of heights, are you, Louis?” Liam asks from where he’s sitting from across Harry and Louis. When Louis doesn’t say anything, Liam seems to piece it together himself. “You totally are! The pole challenge when Harry helped you down. I get it now.”

Louis shifts in his seat. “It’s fine, really.” 

Harry instinctively wraps an arm around Louis’ shoulder and shares a quick look with Liam. “It’s alright,” he turns to look at Louis. “I’ve got you.”

Louis tucks his arm around Harry’s waist, scooching closer in his seat. 

“Ugh,” Liam groans, then turns his whole body to look out the window, leaving Harry and Louis in their own little bubble.

Harry just continues to look at Louis, holding him as if he’s actually protecting him from falling out the closed helicopter. 

Louis smiles at him. “Don’t you wanna look outside? Fiji is beautiful, you know.”

Harry doesn’t shift his gaze. “I know. I just want you to feel safe.”

“You’re here. That’s all I need.” 

Harry looks over at Liam, who isn’t paying attention anyways. But still, he uses his general presence as a cue to lean in and kiss Louis after he says this. 

The arm draped around Louis’ shoulder slides over to have a steady hold on the back of his neck. Harry pulls away quickly, doesn’t allow himself to take it any further with Liam sitting right there.

Louis keeps his eyes closed just a moment longer, savouring the moment. As soon as he opens them, Harry pecks his lips quickly one more time. 

Harry laughs afterwards. And Louis doesn’t find it funny, not one bit, but he laughs, too. 

**

The helicopter lands on the mountain, and once they get out, the pilot takes off again to circle the island until they’re done, leaving only the three boys and a few members of the camera crew behind. 

With them, they carry out the picnic basket and set it down for the boys. They lay out a blanket for them to sit on, and then move back out of their way. 

They boys chat as they open up the basket to pull out the cups for the juice, along with the prepared sandwiches. 

“What kind did you grab?” Harry asks, after blindly pulling out one of the sandwiches. 

Louis looks at his own sandwich. “Peanut butter and jelly. You?”

“Tomato and cucumber. Wanna trade halves?” Harry holds out half of his sandwich.

Louis reaches out to take it and hands Harry his own half. 

They eat quickly but quietly, enjoying every bite. They pound back a few glasses of juice each, bodies craving the sugar it provides. 

“Woah,” Harry says suddenly. “Look at how fast the clouds move up here. I’m gonna go check out the view from over there!” He jumps off and starts wandering to the other side of the mountain.

“Be careful!” Louis calls out, then says to Liam, laughing, “what a child.”

“You better be careful,” Liam teases. “Or someday when you’re raising kids of your own, he’ll be labelled the fun dad.”

Louis looks over at Harry, who is now smiling as he speaks in a confessional. He tears his eyes away and looks back at Liam. He doesn’t know what to say to that.

“You guys want kids of your own, someday?” Liam asks, tone more serious now.

“We’ve never talked about it, really.” 

And obviously, they haven’t. That isn’t a lie.

“But honestly, with Harry, I’m down for any adventure. Kids included.”

And neither is that.

**

“That was amazing,” Liam says, once they’re back in the helicopter. The three boys hung out on the mountain, just talking and walking around until it was time to leave. 

Automatically, Harry pulls Louis close to him as they take off. 

“Yeah,” Louis agrees, still not fully there. He can’t stop thinking about what Liam asked him earlier. And that means he can’t stop imagining what it would be like to have kids with Harry. 

He sees a small house, but a big yard. More than one kid for sure. Harry chasing them in the grass. A cat, probably. Nice things. 

“I can’t wait to tell my kids about all of this someday.” Harry comments, voice pulling Louis back to the moment, the words swirling around Louis’ brain, leaving him wondering how Harry can read his every thought.

“Get out of my head.” Louis mumbles to himself.

Harry turns his head to look at Louis. “What?” He laughs.

“Nothing,” Louis brushes it off, not realizing he had said that out loud. “I’m just glad you had fun.” He presses a quick kiss to Harry’s cheek before resting his head on his shoulder in silence for the rest of the flight.

**

“Hey! How was it?” Niall asks once they’re back, walking with them over to the fire they got going for the evening.

“Unbelievable!” Liam replies, and then goes on to recount everything in detail.

Louis and Harry take a seat around the fire, and Harry wraps an arm around Louis. But this time, they’re not thousands of feet in the air. They’re planted firmly on the ground, but Louis lets Harry ground him further, as if he would float away otherwise. 

“What about you guys?” Shawn nods towards them.

“Yeah, Liam said it all, really,” Harry traces his finger along Louis’ bicep as he speaks. “Amazing.”

Louis nods in agreement. 

They spend the rest of the night sitting around the fire before heading to bed one by one. Liam is the last to go, leaving just Louis and Harry. 

“Do you want to let the fire die now?” Louis asks once the flame gets lower. When Harry doesn’t respond, he adds, “or we could keep it going, if you want. Throw on one more log.”

Harry remains quiet, still. 

“H?”

Harry yawns loudly. “I’m tired, Lou.”

Louis suddenly becomes aware of how much weight Harry is putting on him. Not that it’s a problem, he just hadn’t noticed how much Harry was leaning on him, body exhausted from the day. 

He exhales sharply once, then wraps one arm around Harry’s back, and the other around the backs of his knees. “Okay, baby, let’s get you to bed.”

Harry hums in Louis’ arms, body going limp. 

As Louis walks towards the shelter, Harry whines.

“Sand.” He says simply.

“Okay, we’ll sleep on the beach tonight.” Louis adjusts Harry in his arms and then turns around to walk down to the shore. 

“Am I too heavy?” Harry asks, eyelids heavier than his body.

Louis keeps walking. “No, babe. I’d carry you to bed every night if you let me.”

“I’ll remember that.” Harry yawns.

“No you won’t,” Louis giggles as he gently lays Harry down on the sand. He leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead before removing his sweater from around his shoulders, lifting Harry’s head slightly and tucking it under.

“Mm, you’re right.” Harry’s eyes are already closed.

Louis lays down on his back next to him. Harry lolls his head to the side to look at Louis, who does the same. 

“I’m so sad this is almost over.”

And then he’s asleep.

Louis doesn’t know which part Harry was talking about, but he agrees. 

**

DAY 35

When Louis wakes up, he recalls dreaming of a holiday. Christmas, to be precise. Sitting by a fire while it rains outside. Harry, wrapped up in his arms. Lottie and Gemma, cooking dinner in the kitchen and laughing together like best friends. 

He rolls over to see Harry still sleeping peacefully. 

_If only you dreamt of me, too._

Louis shifts his body too quickly, and Harry’s eyes blink open. He spends a moment just looking at Louis, then glances around, examining his surroundings. 

“Good morning, babe.” 

Harry rolls back over on his side to face Louis again. “Good morning, Lou.”

“I can’t believe there’s only five days left,” Louis glances back towards camp, where there’s no sign of movement anywhere yet.

“Shh,” Harry draws a finger up to Louis’ lips. “I don’t want to think about it.” He retreats his finger.

“We kind of have to, though. We’re so close.”

“I know. There’s only three votes left.”

“Well,” Louis thinks out loud. “Maybe only two. I really think they might bring back the fire challenge.”

“That’s almost worse,” Harry groans. “If we make it to finally four, and neither of us win immunity, which would be a fifty percent probability, you know we’re making fire against each other.” 

“I guess we’ll just have to see. Make it through the next two votes. Just keep surviving.”

With that, Harry wraps an arm around Louis’ waist, rolls into him, and goes back to sleep.

**

“Come on in, guys!” 

_I’m gonna miss his Jeffisms when this is over._

“Are you guys ready to get to today’s immunity challenge? First things first Harry, I need to take back the necklace.”

Harry walks promptly over to Jeff and then turns around, forcing Jeff to remove it himself. 

“Wow, just gonna make me do it for you.”

“Just wanted to feel like it was being put on me again. Nothing personal.”

Everyone laughs.

Once Harry returns to his place on the mat, Jeff explains the challenge, the demonstration is performed, they draw for spots, and then they get going. 

**

“Harry wins! His second individual immunity in a row! Safe tonight at tribal council!” 

Louis launches himself at Harry.

_At least he’s guaranteed a spot in the final five._

_This might be the end for me._

**

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” Liam asks Louis once they’re back at camp. 

Louis sighs, not sure how to respond. At first, he thinks about handing Liam the control. After all, his fate is in Liam’s hands. He needs Liam to be able to force a tie, and he would need one more for a majority. And Louis doesn’t really know if Liam fully trusts him. If Louis were him, he wouldn’t.

He decides on, “I’m torn. What are you thinking?”

“I think it’s time to pick off Perrie, honestly. Easy vote. Nothing complicated. I’m sure we could get both Niall and Shawn on board.” 

Louis nods along. “Okay, how about you distract Perrie, and I’ll rally the boys?”

“Sounds good.”

**

“I am so down to get rid of her.” Niall says, minutes later. 

“It’s about time.” Shawn agrees.

“Yeah, so easy vote tonight, boys. We’ll just pile on her and there won’t be any fireworks like the last few tribals.”

“Um,” Harry clears his throat. “Are we sure that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t see why not.” Louis replies.

“Okay. Yeah. You’re probably right. Just, let me talk to her.”

**

Louis is walking through the jungle alone, having just gone out to fill his canteen.

“Listen,” he hears Harry’s hushed voice from not far away. Louis ducks behind a tree when he sees where it’s coming from. Not too far away, Harry is standing with Perrie. Louis hates eavesdropping. But really, he was here first, anyways. He didn’t actively seek out this situation.

“You need to play your idol tonight.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Perrie says through gritted teeth, telling Harry without words to keep his voice down. 

_No, I want to hear this!_

Louis tries to lean slightly closer, but stops out of the fear of making noise. 

“Pez, I know you have one. And I’m telling you that you need to play it.”

“And what do you want in return?” 

“Well, I want to decide who goes home. Which means you need to write down the name I choose, so that it doesn’t lead to a tie.”

_I can’t believe Perrie is getting this deal twice this season. Once with me, long before the merge, and now with Harry. Unbelievable._

_She better at least pull through for Harry the same way she did for me. If she screws him over…_

_Well, I guess he has immunity. The only way she could really do that would be to...._

“No way, are you serious?” 

_Damn it._

Louis didn’t catch who Harry wants gone.

“I really am. I know it sucks, but trust me. He’s too likeable. Does anybody beat him at the end?”

_The only way for Perrie to screw Harry over is to write my name down. Unless of course that’s what he just told her to do._

**

Perrie finds Louis later while he’s alone. Louis doesn’t really want to talk to her. He needs the voting plan to change, but he doesn’t know how to do that without alarming Harry that he overheard their conversation.

“Hey, Louis.” 

“Hey.”

“Everything good?”

“Yeah!” 

Louis tries to remain cheerful. He knows he can’t give anything away. Can’t say anything that will make Perrie go running back to Harry. 

“Okay, just a yes or no question.” The words spill out of his mouth before he can fully process them in his head.

“Alright, hit me with it.”

“Are you writing my name down tonight? I don’t care about what anybody else is doing. I just want to know if you are.”

Perrie looks at Louis for a long moment, face remaining neutral. Is she trying to psych him out with the hesitation? 

“No, I’m not writing your name down tonight.” 

“And you’re absolutely certain of this?” 

“Of course, Louis.” Her face breaks slightly now. No longer fully neutral. 

“Okay, I believe you.”

_Do I?_

**

“Harry!” 

Louis finds Harry just minutes before they have to leave. This will be the first conversation they’ve had together since deciding on Perrie with the other boys.

“Hey!” Harry calls back.

Louis reaches where Harry’s standing. “We’re still good for tonight?”

“Yeah!”

“I don’t need to be worried, right?” 

Harry’s face drops. “What? No!”

“You’d protect me?”

“Louis, honey, of course. If you haven’t figured that out by now…” 

_I love you,_ he almost says. “Okay.”

Harry wraps his arms around Louis and squeezes tight as if to say, _I’ve got you._

_I believe you._

**

“We’ll now bring in the members of our jury.”

Jeff introduces each one, filing in. The line has gotten much longer because they’re so close to the end. Right now, there’s six people on the jury and six people left in the game. After tonight, the jury will outnumber the remaining players. 

“... And Zayn, voted out at the last tribal council.”

Zayn walks in with a smile on his face. He’s freshly shaved and his hair has been cut. He looks really good.

Liam seems to think so, too. His face lights up and he can’t wipe the smile off his face upon seeing Zayn walk in. 

“So, Liam. You were obviously surprised by the last vote out. Do you think you’ll be surprised tonight?” 

“I don’t, no. I think I’m on the right side of the numbers tonight.”

Perrie looks smug. Louis tries to read her.

_Is it Liam? Is she taking out Liam?_

_That would make sense, right after Zayn._

“Doesn’t everyone think that, though?” Jeff quips.

“Yeah, I guess so. I thought that two nights ago. I was wrong. So I guess we’ll have to see what happens.”

“Harry, knowing you have a guaranteed spot in the final five, do you need this vote to go your way?” Jeff turns to face Harry.

“Yes and no,” Harry replies, discreetly pushing his fist against Louis’ hip, giving him a thumbs up. “The way I see myself getting to the final three is simply to vote out three other people. I haven’t been able to picture a clear order, and I think that must mean that it doesn’t matter.”

“So, as long as one of the three people you want sitting on the jury is voted out tonight, you’re fine with the outcome?”

“Precisely.” 

“Interesting. Louis, how do you feel about that strategy?” 

“Well, I respect it, but it’s definitely not my own. Order does matter to me.”

Louis glances around at the people seated around him, as well as those on the jury. So far, he’s mostly determined the pecking order. 

“Is that just so that it can prove you were in control?” 

“No, definitely not.”

_Maybe a little._

“It’s more about,” Louis continues. “Maintaining relationships that I value. With Zayn, he was my biggest ally out here.” _Aside from Harry,_ is implied. “But I knew from our original tribe that he was too smart. I had to get rid of him before he could get rid of me. But I also knew timing was everything. I wanted to keep that relationship until I felt like it was the right time to cut it off, gamewise.”

“Niall, how do you feel about the fact that Louis and Harry are the last couple remaining?”

A look is shared between Niall and Shawn.

“I think we all stopped seeing it that way a few votes ago, honestly.”

_What a lie. If that were true, you’d all be idiots._

“You’re serious?” Even Jeff thinks that’s stupid.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re all out here to win. It’s not like there will be two winners if they both make it to the end.”

“But,” Perrie interrupts. “If both of them are there, that takes away a seat for one of you.” She looks pointedly between Niall and Shawn.

Shawn shrugs. “We’ll just have to make sure they don’t both make it.” 

“Big words from Shawn.” Jeff comments. 

The jury has a reaction to this, too. They begin whispering, probably making predictions as to whether or not Louis goes home tonight. 

“I guess you’ll have to try your best.” Harry has the audacity to laugh at what Shawn just said.

“Wow,” Jeff’s eyes widen. “With that, it’s time to vote. Harry, you’re up first.” 

**

“I’ll go tally the votes.” Jeff goes into the voting area, stacks the votes, then returns to tribal council.

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.” 

Perrie shows no hesitation in reaching into her bag. “Jeff,” she says. She pulls out an idol and walks it over to the stand. 

The boys seem to realize what this means. Louis plays along as if he didn’t know, either. Because he wasn’t supposed to.

_Because Harry didn’t tell me._

Jeff announces that the idol is real and any votes cast for Perrie will not count. When Perrie returns to her seat, Louis leans forward. 

“Do I need to play mine too?” He whispers in Perrie’s ear, so that nobody else can hear. 

She simply shakes her head in response. 

“Okay, I’ll read the votes.”

Louis takes a deep breath. 

“First vote, Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

“Perrie. Does not count.”

The jury is on their feet. 

Jeff opens another parchment and flips it around to reveal what is unmistakably Harry’s writing. “Niall. That’s one vote Niall.”

“Oh,” Niall groans into his hands. “That sucks, man.”

“Thirteenth person voted out and the seventh member of our jury, Niall.” 

Niall laughs. “You got us good. You got me good!” He stands up and grabs his torch and starts to walk towards Jeff. “Wait a minute,” he pauses, turning around. “Which one of you boys flipped?” 

Harry slowly raises his hand. “Sorry, Ni.”

Niall just laughs again. “I’m impressed, H.” 

The jury seems to be as well. 

“Niall.”

“Yes sir.”

“The tribe has spoken.” Jeff snuffs his torch. “It’s time for you to go.” 

Niall turns around once more. “See you guys later.”

Once he’s gone, Jeff turns back to the group. “Well, you’ve all made it to the final five. We’ll have to see what everyone envisions for their final three, and how that translates into the last decisions you make. Goodnight.” 

Everyone stands up, collects their stuff, and exits the tribal council area.

_Only four more days._

**

“Hey,” Louis says while he lays next to Harry in the shelter. Everyone else is still milling around in camp. “Are you gonna tell me about what happened tonight?”

Harry sighs as he lies down. “I just. I’m sorry, Louis. I knew Perrie found the idol after Zayn played his.”

“So why didn’t you say anything when we talked about voting her out?”

“Well, the other boys were there, too. I was gonna tell you. But then I realized that Zayn was your move. I wanted Niall to be mine.”

Louis can’t argue with that. Harry deserves to play his own game, and not just follow blindly with whatever will benefit Louis the most. 

“Well, it was a good one.”

Harry smiles, pleased by Louis’ praise.

“You did good, Haz.”

**

DAY 36

“Another immunity challenge today?” Perrie reads the tree mail, which indicates another person will be sent to the jury tonight. 

“Two nights in a row,” Shawn shakes his head. “We’re getting serious. We’re so close, guys.”

“Alright, hands in.” Louis says, feeling rather good about this. “Final five on three.” 

The five of them cheer and jump around in a circle chanting for a while. But the reality is that after tonight, one of them will be gone. They’ll be down to four, and the jury will almost be complete. 

“Alright, alright,” Harry stops jumping. “Let’s save our energy.”

Everyone laughs.

**

“Louis! Wins individual immunity!”

Louis drops to his knees, face in his hands. His body is on fire. He’s overheated. Overwhelmed.

He only starts to cry when he feels Harry wrap himself around Louis’ back. He’s kneeling behind him in the sand, arms wrapped around his shoulders, head tucked into his neck. Harry kisses softly at Louis’ skin as he cries, and he eventually sits down, pulling Louis back to sit between his legs. Harry keeps Louis cradled in his arms for a long time. 

Jeff calls for the medic team to bring everyone some water and glucose tablets.

Once everyone is rehydrated and feeling a little better, they line up on the mat and applaud Louis as Jeff brings the necklace over to him. 

“Louis, lots of emotion after that win. What’s it all about?”

“I just, when you’re doing something so excruciating, you can’t think about it. I just kept going. Up the mountain, grab the coconut, down the mountain, repeat. For an hour, I wasn’t thinking about anything. So when you finish something like that, everything just hits you all at once.”

Louis looks over at Harry beside him, who is getting teary eyed again. 

“Harry?” Jeff asks, noticing his sudden burst of emotion.

“No, no,” Harry wipes his eyes, looking quickly over to Jeff, then back to Louis. “This is his moment.” Harry pauses, and Louis wipes under his eyes to catch the last of his tears. “I’m so proud of you.” He whispers, though he doesn’t seem to care if everyone hears.

“Harry, I just want to understand. You’re as emotional as he is, but you lost. You put yourself through the same physical exertion, but without the reward.”

Harry takes Louis’ hand in his, then brings it up to his face and presses a kiss into his palm. “I know. I’m just. I’m gonna remember this day for the rest of my life. And this feeling. I can’t even explain what it is.”

“Alright, well. After an exhausting challenge, go back to camp, get some rest, and I’ll see you tonight.” 

**

“Let’s sit in the sand and stretch. Our muscles will thank us tomorrow.” Perrie suggests. 

“Oh, that sounds great.” Louis says, and judging by the silence that follows, he thinks maybe he wasn’t included in this invite. 

But stubborn as ever, Louis takes Harry’s hand and drags him along with him down to the beach to sit with everyone else. They stretch in silence, and it’s definitely uncomfortable. Every now and then, Louis looks over to Shawn or Liam, but both of them avert his gaze when they notice.

Eventually, the three of them get up to go soak in the water. Louis holds Harry back, telling him to wait until they’re done. They continue stretching, and once the three of them are far enough in the water, Harry says with a laugh, “so it’s me tonight then, I guess?”

Louis laughs along with him. “Those three are so funny. Can’t even pretend like we’re okay.”

“So,” Harry shifts, switching legs. Louis catches himself watching the lean muscle in Harry’s thighs flex as he extends his leg. “Who are we sending home then?”

“What?” Louis tears his eyes from Harry’s body, but it’s too late. He didn’t catch a word Harry just said.

_Focus._

“I mean. We both still have idols. Tonight’s the last night we can use them. You have the necklace. Who are we voting out?”

“Do you think any of them found an idol since Perrie played hers?”

“Maybe.”

“Okay, we’ll just have to increase our odds of guessing correctly then.”

Harry’s face lights up. 

_Time for another wild one._

_I hope you’re ready, jury._

**

The jury files in and then tribal council begins. Louis sits comfortably with his necklace and the knowledge that Harry has an idol in his bag that he’s going to play. 

“So, final five. Is anybody in a position where they’ve just realized that they don’t fit into anyone’s final three plans?” 

Nobody says anything. 

_I’m glad nobody has given up. But it also sucks that you’re being oblivious._

“Interesting. So everyone has a final three pictured now. And everyone thinks they’re going to be one of them. But two of you are wrong. Louis,” Jeff turns sharply. “How does it feel knowing you now have a twenty five percent chance at winning this game?”

“Well, I’m not going to lie, these are the odds I had on my last season, too. So maybe not as good as I should feel.”

The jury laughs. 

“I guess that’s true,” Jeff laughs. “So talk to me more about the challenge today.”

“Firstly, I will never forgive you for it. You know, there must have been about a hundred stairs on that mountain. Ten times. You people are insane.”

Louis hears murmurs and “wow” coming from the jury. 

“But also, it was definitely something I needed. So, thank you. It was both the worst and the best thing to have ever happened to me. I discovered a strength and perseverance I honestly didn’t know I had.” 

“Well, that’s amazing, Louis. But I would like to argue that coming out here again requires a certain strength and perseverance, don’t you think?”

Louis shakes his head. “Maybe. But I didn’t come out here for those reasons. For me, it was a matter of loving this game. I applied every year since I was old enough, and after getting my chance and falling short, I wanted to come out and redeem myself.” 

“So, it wasn’t necessarily a matter of wanting to try again, but needing to do better?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Louis nods. “But this challenge today, I don’t know, Jeff,” he sucks in some air through gritted teeth. “It changed me. I learned something about myself.”

Liam turns around and pats Louis on the leg, inciting everyone to reach over and acknowledge him briefly. 

“What about you, Harry? Did this challenge teach you something?”

Harry looks over at Louis beside him, and a smile grows on his face. “I think it might have.”

“Something about yourself? Or about Louis?” 

Harry turns back to face Jeff. “I don’t think it’s that important.” 

“Alright, alright. I won’t press on your personal realizations.” Jeff chuckles. 

“Wait, I kind of want to press.” Louis interjects before Jeff can change the topic and move on to somebody else. This catches the jury’s attention, as well as everyone sitting around Louis.

“I just need a second, really.” Louis tells Jeff, then turns to whisper to Harry beside him. He sees the three in the front row turn around to try to catch what he’s saying. 

Louis leans in close to Harry’s ear, until Harry can feel his breath on his neck. Then, Louis whispers, “what did you learn, Harry?”

Harry turns his head so that they’re face to face. He looks at Louis for a long moment, then leans in towards his ear. 

“I learned that…” Harry pauses, but doesn’t move his mouth from near Louis’ ear. “You’re way fitter than me. And that simultaneously terrifies and arouses me.”

Louis stifles a laugh as Harry pulls away from his ear, face normal as if he didn’t just say that.

“Alright.” Jeff continues. “So, Perrie, tonight’s the last night to play an idol. Do you think that knowledge will have an influence on this vote?”

“I don’t think so?” She replies, looking around for someone to agree with her and confirm that she knows what’s going to happen tonight.

_She doesn’t._

“I think that with so few people left, the votes get less chaotic. It's a rather clear cut thing.” 

“Liam, do you agree?” 

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, look at Niall over there. We came into tribal council with a clear cut plan, and it wasn’t for him to go home. But Harry, the sneaky one that he is, divulged the plan and set a new one in motion. It’s never going to be what everyone expects.”

“Yeah,” Shawn jumps in. “I think that this group has some pretty intense gameplay. Everyone’s thinking at level four.” 

“What are these levels?” Jeff tilts his head, clueless as to what Shawn is talking about.

“Well,” he explains. “Level one would be like, ‘what advantages do I have?’. Level two then is ‘what advantages do other people have?’. Those two are both pretty basic level thinking.”

_I should have gotten closer to Shawn on our original tribe. He’s apparently incredibly intelligent, too._

_All this time I had been worried about Zayn._

_Loverboy over here is just as dangerous._

“Level three is ‘what are my opponents going to do with their advantages?’ and level four is ‘what do my opponents think I’m going to do with my advantages?’. And that’s the crucial level of knowing how to play your hand.” 

Nobody says anything.

“Wow, Shawn,” Louis breaks the silence. “Alright.” 

“Well, with that in mind, shall we get to the vote?” Jeff asks, though it’s always rhetorical. “Louis, you’re up first.”

**

Louis watches as Jeff goes to get the votes. He hopes this plan works. He hopes Shawn’s crazy levels of thinking don’t cost him this vote.

_It’s fine. Harry is going to play his idol anyways. It doesn’t even matter._

_But it does. I need to look better than Shawn in the jury’s eyes._

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

“Yeah, Jeff. It’s the last night. I found this early this morning after Perrie played hers last night. I just want to make sure this goes right, and I’m still here tomorrow.”

Louis shares a look with Harry as Liam brings his idol to Jeff. He looks over to Zayn, who is smiling from the jury, happy to see Liam will make it to the final four. 

Harry gets up. “I’m gonna play mine, too. Same reasons, really. Want to be here tomorrow.” 

The jury is amused by the realization that it will have to be either Perrie or Shawn going home.

“Alright, I’ll read the votes.” Jeff opens the urn.

“First vote, Harry. Does not count.”

“Harry. Does not count.”

“Liam. Does not count.”

“Liam. Does not count.”

“You mad men!” Shawn says, causing Jeff to pause before getting to the final vote. “You split the vote.”

Louis and Harry both smile.

“Fourteenth person voted out and the eighth member of our jury, Shawn.” 

“Wow!” Shawn exclaims. “Guess I just wasn’t on your level.”

Everyone laughs as Shawn gathers his things. 

“Hey, man, you were smart about it, too. You threw Liam’s name down, right?”

Shawn nods.

“Be proud of that. Own level four. It’s just a shame that we’re on level five.” Louis says with a smug look. He shrugs, then stands up to hug Shawn.

“Thanks, man.” Shawn pats him on the back before turning to take his torch to Jeff. 

“Shawn, the tribe has spoken.” Jeff snuffs his torch. “It’s time for you to go.”

“Well,” Shawn says as he turns around. “It was an honour playing with you all.” 

He turns and walks down the ramp, leaving everyone in silence for a moment.

Louis turns to look at the jury, and they seem both pleased and confused. 

_I’ll definitely need to explain this one at the final tribal council._

“Well, it looks like no matter what level of gameplay you think you’re on, there are a lot of things that can get in the way. But, you’ve all made it to the final four. So you must be doing something right. Goodnight.”

Everyone smiles and gathers their things before grabbing their torches to head out. 

_Only three more days._

**

DAY 37

“I have never been so thankful for a day off,” Louis says, rubbing at his thighs that are throbbing. He woke up in the morning and didn’t want to move. His whole body was feeling it from yesterday’s challenge. Eventually, he dragged himself out of the shelter to find the other three sitting together where they are now, around the fire pit without a fire.

“The day after is always worse.” Perrie laughs. “Definitely need to soak in the ocean again at some point.” 

“Wanna go do that now?” Harry asks him. 

“Yeah, definitely. Can’t wait any longer.” 

They get up together, leaving Liam and Perrie behind. Harry seems slightly concerned by this, but Louis reassures him.

“I don’t think there’s much strategizing left to do. I’m now almost positive that it’s a firemaking challenge tomorrow night.” 

“Why?” Harry challenges as they slowly wade out into the water, providing instant relief on their aching muscles.

“The way Jeff talked about ‘decisions’ a few nights ago. He didn’t say votes. And he did that on purpose, for sure.” 

“I’ll take your word for it.” 

They continue to make their way into deeper water as the sun beats down on their skin. When the water is just above Louis’ waist they stop. Harry looks up at the sun, squinting, then back to Louis. 

“I can’t believe I’m here.” Harry smiles, putting one hand on Louis’ side.

“I’m so proud of you.” Louis smiles right back. “I hope you know that.”

Louis matches Harry’s movement and tilts his chin up as he leans forward. He giggles as his lips connect with Harry’s, now used to the warm sensation. Louis brings his arms up and over Harry’s shoulders, holding his own wrist at the back of Harry’s neck. Harry chases forward for more as he wraps both arms around Louis’ waist, pulling him closer. 

Before this, Louis hadn’t been kissed by anyone for a while. Not since his relationship ended last year. Since then, he spends all his time focusing on school, work, and Harry. There was also a brief stint on Survivor, which led to being here with Harry. Led to being in a Fijian ocean with Harry. Led to kissing Harry in a Fijian ocean. 

_I’m so glad he broke up with me._

_Kissing him was nothing like kissing Harry._

“I’m just so glad you asked me to be your fake boyfriend for this,” Harry pulls Louis back into reality, but keeps his hands at Louis’ waist. “Look how it turned out.”

Louis still has his arms wrapped around Harry’s shoulders, so he takes the opportunity to jump, wrap his legs around Harry, and pull him under water. 

They tussle around in the water for a while. Laughing, soaking up the sun. Then, they decide to go lie on the beach to dry off.

“I think I’m gonna fall asleep right here.” Louis announces, eyes closed, facing the sun. 

“Cool,” Harry answers, reaching over to grab Louis’ hand. “Nap time in the sun.”

**

When Louis wakes up later, Harry is still asleep, using his arms as a pillow, lying down to face Louis. Louis drops his head in Harry’s direction and smiles. He extends his arm and shakes Harry by the hip. 

“Harry,” he shakes him gently. “Harry, wake up.”

“Hmm?” Harry hums, still half asleep. 

“Time to get up, sleepy.”

Harry groans. “You were the one who wanted to nap.”

“Yeah,” Louis laughs. “And now I’m done. Over it.”

Harry laughs with his eyes still closed. “Fine,” he finally opens his eyes.

Louis just looks at Harry.

“What more do you want from me?” Harry yells dramatically. 

They both laugh, and then they kiss. 

They laugh some more. 

**

“Well,” Louis says, once everyone is in the shelter for the night. “Last challenge tomorrow. Hope everyone sleeps alright.”

“Goodnight,” Liam and Perrie say in return.

“Goodnight,” Harry whispers to Louis from up close.

“Goodnight,” Louis whispers right back, kisses Harry on the nose, then allows himself to be pulled into Harry’s arms for a full night of sleep. 

**

DAY 38

“Are you guys ready to get to your final immunity challenge?” Jeff asks as everyone drops their bags. “One last time, immunity is back up for grabs. First things first, Louis, I’m gonna have to take it back.”

Louis walks over and turns around to have the necklace removed, then takes his place back on the mat. 

“At your last challenge, Louis made a comment about not being able to think. For today’s challenge, we’re forcing you to do exactly that. All you have to do is find the correct combination. Get it right, pull out the stick, and your flag will rise. To get that combination, you will be counting. You’ll be running across the beach to retrieve six numbers. We’ve got rocks, cages, bamboo, masks, buoys, and scorpions. If you tug on your lock and it’s wrong, you have to go back and count again.”

Louis takes a deep breath as he studies the distance between the combination locks and the counting stations. 

“Let’s get to it.”

_Here we go again._

**

“Survivors ready? Go!”

Everyone races out at full speed and Louis trips in the sand, stumbles, but recovers quickly. 

“Six stations,” Jeff calls out. “Try to remember as many numbers as you can, then head back and lock them in on your combination.”

Louis starts at the rocks, counts twenty-four, then moves onto the cages. 

“This is going to challenge you both physically and mentally. Just remembering numbers after thirty-eight days is a lot, then having to sprint back and forth through the sand just two days after the mountain challenge.” 

Jeff continues to narrate. “Louis is heading back, and Perrie is right behind him. Lock them in and then go count some more.”

Louis locks in his numbers then heads out again.

“Question is, how many numbers can you remember at a time?”

Louis runs back out, set on getting two more numbers.

“Harry’s finally coming back. He’s been out there a long time.”

The two boys pass each other in the sand, and Louis would almost be surprised if Harry doesn’t get all six numbers on the first try.

“Harry’s giving it a shot, but he’s wrong. Harry’s gotta head back out.”

As Louis heads back, he passes Harry again, who holds his hand up for a high-five. Louis grins at him and slaps his own hand against Harry’s. Louis arrives at his combination lock, gets his next two numbers lined up, then covers them and runs back out for what will hopefully be the last time. 

His legs are having flashbacks to two days ago. He’s certain he’ll be feeling the burn when he finally stops running.

Louis arrives at his last two stations, counts, counts again, then goes back.

“Alright,” he mumbles to himself as he enters his final numbers. 

He tugs at the stick of his lock. 

Nothing. 

“Louis has to head out again. This is where it gets hard. You don’t know which number you have wrong. You don’t know how many you have wrong.”

“Thanks, Jeff,” Louis laughs as he starts jogging again.

“Liam tries, Perrie tries, they’re both wrong!” Jeff calls out.

Louis visits three stations this time, knowing everybody is on an even playing field and he’s short on time. He counts, then returns to fix his numbers.

But everything looks right. So he goes again. 

He counts the other three stations and goes back. He corrects one of his numbers that was wrong. 

Tries again.

Nothing.

“Damn it!” Louis yells, turning to run out again.

This goes on for who knows how long. Everyone continually gets the combination wrong, over and over again.

“Frustration setting in,” Jeff says. “Keep fighting you guys. Somebody’s gonna win this!” 

They count, they run, they count again. 

Finally, a flag raises. 

It’s not Louis’.

Nor is it Harry’s. 

“Perrie has it! Perrie wins individual immunity!” Jeff throws his hands in the air, calling the challenge off. 

Louis glances over to see Perrie celebrating her win, but turns his attention to Harry, who just shrugs with a small final.

“Interestingly enough, Harry and Louis, you were both just one number off on the same station.”

Louis scoffs, but not seriously. “Really useful now.” 

But really, Louis is thinking about what the odds are that he and Harry were so close to each other. Realistically, not very high.

“Perrie, come on over.” 

The boys clap politely as she has the necklace put around her shoulders by Jeff.

“Now, here’s what’s gonna happen tonight. You’re going to choose one person to join you in the final three.”

Louis reaches for Harry’s hand.

“The other two will be forced to make fire to fight for their spot. The loser will become the final member of our jury.” Jeff puts a hand on Perrie’s shoulder. “You’ve got a big decision to make tonight. I’ll see you all later.”

**

When they get back to camp, Harry isolates himself immediately, pointedly avoiding Louis. But Louis eventually corners him while he’s sitting alone on the beach.

“Hey,” Louis suddenly notices that Harry’s back is heaving up and down irregularly. “Harry.”

This gets his attention, and he turns around to look at Louis. “Oh, hey, Lou.”

“What’s the matter, baby?” Louis puts a hand on his shoulder.

Harry drops his head, clearly embarrassed. “Nothing, it’s so dumb, I think I’m just being overly emotional since we’ve been out here so long.”

Louis hates having cameras around for moments like this. He knows it’s what he signed up for, but this feels private. Like he should get to have this with Harry, and Harry alone.

Louis decides against sitting down beside Harry. Instead, he walks in front of him and offers his hands to help him up. Once Harry is standing and facing him, Louis says, “it’s not dumb. What’s wrong?”

Harry wipes at his eyes. “You know we’re gonna be making fire against each other.”

_Of course that’s what this is about._

“First of all,” Louis squeezes Harry’s hands. “We don’t know that for sure.”

Harry sniffles and nods lightly. 

“Secondly, if we do, then you have my vote at the end.”

This seems to make things worse. Harry lets out a choked sob.

“Oh, Haz.” Louis feels guilty. “Come here.” Louis puts out his arms, and Harry practically falls into them. “It’s okay,” Louis whispers, over and over as he holds Harry.

“We were supposed to sit at the end together.” Harry has finally stopped crying, but remains wrapped up in Louis’ embrace.

“I know, babe. We’ll just have to see what happens tonight.”

**

“Harry, we need to practice.” 

Harry looks at Louis and raises his eyebrows. 

“Okay, fine. I need to practice. Could you help me, please?”

Harry walks over and crouches next to Louis. “Here,” he reaches out, wrapping his hand around Louis’. “Hold the magnesium at this angle instead. Then scrape.”

Harry guides Louis’ hands, and they scrape at the magnesium together. 

“Wow,” Louis breathes out. “That makes a huge difference.” 

“See? You can do it. I believe in you.”

_How could I possibly make fire against Harry?_

_I’m on his team._

_I would have to make sure he wins. He deserves it._

**

“How are you feeling, Liam?” Louis asks, trying to remain calm, though tribal council isn’t far away from now.

“Not great, honestly. I’m not very good at making fire. I’m just hoping Perrie does the smart thing and puts you and Harry up against each other.”

Louis’ face visibly drops, and he looks down at his feet.

“I mean, no offence, of course.” Liam sputters upon realizing Louis is upset. “Just,” he continues anyways. “Who in their right mind wouldn’t put the couple against each other?”

**

The jury looks rather amused by the fact that Perrie is wearing the necklace. 

“Well, Perrie, have you made a decision about who you’re taking with you tonight?”

Perrie nods solemnly. “I have. It wasn’t an easy decision…”

“So you had to think about it through the afternoon? It wasn’t locked in immediately.”

“No, not at all,” Perrie answers. “I bounced around reasons to take each one of these guys all day.”

_This is it._

_This is how it ends for me._

_Final four again. How poetic._

“I’m going to be taking Louis, so Harry and Liam will be making fire.”

_Did I hear her correctly?_

Upon looking at the faces of the jury, it seems as though Louis did, in fact, hear Perrie correctly. 

“Well, there we have it then. Perrie and Louis, you will be at the final tribal council. The question is who will join you. Harry, you’ll be set up with the blue flag, Liam, you’ll have red. Come take your seats.”

Louis stands up as Harry does. “Hey,” he grabs Harry’s arm, then yanks him in for a hug. “I’m proud of you. You can do this.” He whispers, then pulls away quickly. Louis turns to Liam and says, “good luck”, knowing he’ll need it against Harry, but also because it’s the nice thing to do. 

Liam and Harry take their seats at the fire making stations. A calm has washed over the tribal council. Everybody is silent. Watching. 

“Alright, Harry, Liam, the rules are very simple. You both have the same firemaking supplies, and you have to build a fire with a flame high enough to burn the rope and raise your flag. Make sense?”

They both nod. 

“Alright. Survivors ready? Go.” Jeff says, not yelling like at challenges. This is a different kind of challenge. 

Harry starts building a bit of a structure first, whereas Liam gets right to his flint, shaving off some magnesium. Jeff is narrating the whole thing, but Louis just tunes it out. He feels like he’s going to throw up, but he can’t look away. 

Suddenly, Liam has a spark. But with nothing for his fire to take to, it goes out quickly. So he starts again, and this time sets up a bit of a structure before chipping away at the magnesium once more. 

Harry doesn’t seem to panic. He doesn’t look up, just keeps working on what he’s doing. Suddenly, Harry has a flame. He acts quickly, building around his structure.

“It’s one thing to have a fire, but you have to get the flame high enough to burn that rope.”

As if on cue, Liam catches a spark, too. Harry’s is burning high and fast, but he needs to keep it going. The wind isn’t doing anyone any favours.

Louis bites at his nails. He watches as both flames continue to grow.

“Harry’s fire, starting to hit the rope.”

“Liam, loses it again. Fire goes out.”

Harry’s fire continues to burn through the rope. Louis can see it coming apart. The jury can see it. 

The rope breaks. The flag rises. Harry stands up.

“It’s over! Harry has earned his way into the final three.”

Harry turns and immediately hugs Liam, who is evidently sad about the loss, but trying to keep a strong facade nonetheless. 

The two go back to sit down, and Louis stands up to meet Harry. They both extend their arms at the same time, then, as if in slow motion, wrap around each other in a strong hug. 

“You’re a natural firestarter, baby!” Louis says in his ear, remembering the first time they practiced making fire together. He remembers how he wasn’t very proud of himself for having this skill. Louis can only hope Harry is proud of himself, now.

They pull apart and take their seats, both smiling to themselves, but trying to contain it.

“Liam, thirty-eight days.” Jeff says. “What do you take away from this?” 

Liam frowns, but lifts his chin up. “I think I learned a lot about myself. Survivor is a great experience and I’m proud of myself for making it this far. I never would have known I had the confidence it took to do this if I hadn’t come out here. I feel like I can do a lot of things that I might not have done before.”

“Alright, it’s been quite a journey, but unfortunately, thirty-eight days is where it ends. Grab your torch.” 

Liam nods, then promptly stands up. He grabs his torch and walks it over to Jeff. 

“Love you, Li.” Louis says, and Harry echoes the sentiment right after. 

“Love you guys, good luck.” 

“Liam, the tribe has spoken. You become the final member of our jury.” Jeff snuffs his torch, and everyone begins to applaud as he makes his exit.

He turns around one last time to say, “thank you,” and then he’s gone. 

“Harry, Louis, Perrie.” Jeff brings the attention back to the people still sitting there. “You’ve gone as far as you can go in this game. You’ve made it to the end. Now, the power shifts to the jury. The same people that you voted out along the way are now the ones who are in control. Tomorrow night, you will face your final tribal council, where you will get the chance to plead your case about why you’re the one who deserves the title of Sole Survivor, along with the million dollar check that comes with it. It is your last night in Fiji, try to get some sleep. Grab your torches, head back to camp. See you tomorrow night.” 

**

Back at camp, Perrie congratulates the boys, and then leaves them alone for the night. 

“I’ll sleep on the beach tonight, if you guys want. You can have the shelter to yourselves for the last night.”

Harry and Louis just look at each other.

“Thanks, Perrie,” Louis finally says, but she’s already walking away.

“It’s already pretty dark,” Harry notes. “Wanna just go lay down now?”

Louis nods. Harry grabs his hand and they walk together to the shelter, where they’ll sleep for the last time. They duck inside, then lay down next to each other. This shelter started by holding twelve people on day eighteen, but on day thirty-eight, with just two of them inside, they still press their bodies just as close together as the first night.

Face to face in the moonlight, Louis can just make out Harry’s eyes blinking at him.

“What is it?” 

Harry hesitates. “Nothing.”

When Louis doesn’t say anything after, it’s like Harry changes his mind. “Just, it’s you and me, you know? There’s nothing like this.”

Louis presses his lips softly against Harry’s, pulling apart with a smack. Harry leans in for more, more aggressively this time, so Louis puts a gentle hand on his hip, pulling him towards his body. Harry rolls so that he’s straddling Louis’ hips, leaning down to leave him with bruising kisses. Louis keeps both hands on Harry’s waist, gripping tighter now. Harry unconsciously grinds down on Louis every time he dives back in for a kiss, moving on to attack his neck. Louis moans unknowingly, and allows Harry to continue. Louis can feel Harry moaning against his neck as he presses his hips further into Louis’. Harry pulls off of Louis’ neck and moves back to his lips. He pants into Louis’ mouth, and continues to rotate his hips just right. Louis can feel himself getting hard, so he turns his head away from Harry, and tells him they should go to sleep.

Harry looks disappointed, but rolls off of Louis anyways, respecting his wishes. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “It’s just that it’s our last night here. Together. Like this.”

_Don’t remind me._

“I know,” Louis slides closer to Harry and brushes his lips against Harry’s bare shoulder, then rests his head on his chest. 

Harry tucks his arms under Louis’ body so they’re positioned comfortably. “Goodnight, Lou.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

**

DAY 39

“Good morning, boys.” Perrie greets them as she rounds the corner, noticing them sitting at the edge of the shelter. She looks like she’s been awake for a while now.

Louis yawns in response. 

“Good morning, Pez.” Harry says for the both of them. 

“Are you guys ready for some tree mail?” Perrie asks, with a knowing smile on her face.

“I’ve been waiting for this particular tree mail for thirty-nine days. I’ve never been so ready.’

She pulls it out from behind her back and unscrolls it to read the message. “Congratulations, you have made it to the final three! Follow the trail behind your camp for your well-earned day thirty-nine Survivor breakfast.”

“Yes! We made it!” Louis shakes his fists in the air excitedly.

“Congratulations, guys.” Perrie leans forward to hug both Harry and Louis together. 

“Let’s go eat!” Harry exclaims, already taking off for the path.

Louis and Perrie share a look and laugh together.

**

“Is that champagne?”

Harry picks up the three glasses and passes them off, then takes the bottle and pops the cork with a surprised cry when it finally comes off. He pours them all a drink.

“May the best man or woman win!” Perrie says, raising her glass. 

“Cheers.” Harry and Louis say in unison. 

They drink from their glasses, and then get to the food. 

“Cinnamon rolls?” Louis offers, and they each take one and start ripping pieces off with their hands. 

“I’ll start on this grill. Anybody want some bacon?” Harry asks, already putting some down for himself. 

“Please!” Perrie answers.

Harry looks at Louis, who nods back at him. 

Over the fire, Harry works on eggs, bacon and sausage. Louis works on the fruit, and Perrie helps him out by holding the plates.

“Are you excited to be here with him?” Perrie asks after working in silence.

“Of course,” Louis looks up at Harry, hovering over the grill. “He’s my best friend. I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”

**

“What a journey, huh?” Perrie says, as they finally start to eat the food they’ve been preparing for several minutes.

Louis swallows his bite, nodding. “Yeah, take it all in. Last day in Fiji.” 

Harry looks out at the skyline, and Louis looks at him. 

**

When they finish eating breakfast, they grab their bags and their canteens and they head back to camp, where they spend the rest of the day isolated from each other. They each take their own space on the island, preparing for the evening. 

Louis wants to sit with Harry and talk to him and figure out everything they can both say to prove that they deserve to win. But Louis came to win. He’ll be a lot happier having the win because he did it along with Harry, but he’s not going to roll over and give up for him.

_I’m doing what I couldn’t do last time._

Louis spends the afternoon thinking back to every move he made. Every single vote out that happened. Was he on the right side? Did he play an advantage? Did he know where all the votes were going?

Louis feels prepared to speak in front of the jury and to answer their questions, and he hopes Harry feels the same way. 

**

“Alright, you guys.” Jeff says, once they’re sitting at tribal council. 

The pressure is on. The jury is complete. There’s nine of them sitting there, waiting to choose a winner for the season. Some of them left more peacefully than others, and it’s up to the finalists to heal those wounds however they can. 

“You’ve dealt with a lot this season. You always do. But here we are, at your final battle, against each other.” Jeff gestures between the three of them. “It is to persuade this jury,” he points to where they sit on the bleachers. “That you are the most deserving to win this game.”

Louis nods. He feels ready. 

“Alright, let’s get started.”

**

“We’re going to start with the outwit portion of the game. This is the social part of the game. The alliances and relationships you had along the way. Who wants to get us started?” 

“I’ll start, if that’s alright.” Zayn offers. 

“Alright, Zayn, go right ahead.”

“Okay,” Zayn breathes out. “Before we even start with our questions, I just want to say congratulations for making it to the end. What we need tonight is for you guys to explain the things that we couldn’t see as the jury, or even things we missed while we were still playing with you. We need to get the full story of how you managed to outwit all of us, to be sitting where you are right now, instead of on this side. Good luck guys.”

Louis nods, smiling at Zayn. 

“I’ll start with the first question,” Taylor raises her hand, looking around as if to make sure it’s alright. “I just want to know what you think was a mistake you made in terms of the social game?”

“For me,” Louis jumps in, before the other two can answer first. “It was definitely that I overlooked Shawn. Sure, he made it to the final five, but I didn’t work with him as much as I should have. I didn’t recognize the skills he brought to the table, and I regret that.”

“What about you, Harry?” 

“Um, I think I did really well at developing a connection with everyone sitting in front of me. I had a relationship with each of you. But my problem was that I didn’t know what to do with those relationships. Sometimes, I felt like I was just kind of being pulled into the numbers because of those individual relationships, rather than being a part of a bigger alliance.”

“I would agree with that,” Perrie replies. “I never really found an alliance that stuck, which is how I ended up on the bottom of the numbers more often than I should have.” 

“But none of us did, either.” Niall retorts. “I don’t think any of us ever voted with the same exact group of people twice. Things were always changing, which is why there was no clear majority and minority.”

“That’s true, and that’s kind of what I’m saying, I guess. I just didn’t always end up in the majority of a particular vote.”

“Because you were siding with the wrong people.” Camila says, more of a statement than a question.

_Looks like they’re set on tearing apart Perrie’s game._

_That’s a good sign for me._

Louis shares a quick look with Harry.

“Can I say something?” Julia jumps in. “I actually think it’s impressive if Perrie was on the wrong side of the numbers so many times and still ended up sitting there. I mean,” she gestures to everyone sitting with her on the jury. “We couldn’t do it. We were on the wrong side one time, and look at where we are.”

“Okay, I have a question for both Louis and Harry.” Liam steers the conversation away from making Perrie look good. “How did the two of you manage to remain in this game as a couple? It was pretty clear from the merge that we were going to take out couples. Which did happen, slowly. So how did you two use your social game to keep the vote off of each other?” 

“Can I start?” Louis asks Harry, who gives him the go-ahead. “I honestly can’t say that I did that. You all know that Harry had his name written down at four or five different tribal councils at the merge. If I had been completely in power, trying to make sure he doesn’t go home, his name never would have been written down. An idol would have been all it took on so many occasions to send him home. All I really did was make sure I had the numbers to send home someone else.”

Harry makes sure Louis is finished talking, then starts with his own answer. “For me, I can say that I did do that. If I hadn’t convinced people that Louis was worth keeping around, he would be sitting where Luke is. He would have been the second one gone. My individual relationships came in handy, because I was able to learn that there was talk of splitting us up that early, so I basically diverted that plan by convincing everyone that Luke was too big of a physical threat. Which is not a lie, I just needed to make sure he seemed like the bigger threat at the time.” 

“So you’re saying,” Luke replies. “That I’m only sitting here because you needed a target that wasn’t your boyfriend?”

“Yes.” Harry replies truthfully. 

“So then,” Karlie says. “We’re really fascinated by this. How did you only have your name written down at one tribal council, Louis?” 

“I think I just always had more pieces of information than anyone else. I was able to anticipate who wanted to do what, and I could react accordingly.”

“Well, I’d like to say that’s just not true.” Niall retorts. “You didn’t know I was going home when I did. You thought it was Perrie.”

“Well, that’s not completely true, either,” Louis defends himself. “I had overheard Harry telling Perrie she needed to play her idol. So I knew she was going to be safe. The only thing I didn’t hear was who Harry told her to send home. And if I’m being completely honest, all night, I thought it might have been me.”

“But you did nothing about it?” 

“No, I put my trust in Harry and if in the end, it was him who betrayed me, then so be it. But it’s not me sitting over there. And actually, I do commend Harry for making that move. He took you out because he was threatened by your social game, and I respect that he wrote your name down as a fail-safe for if Perrie went rogue and wrote down a different name. He could have kept his hands clean and acted surprised like the rest of us. But he didn’t. He owned up to what he did.”

“That reminds me, actually,” Niall continues. “Perrie, I want to know about the Lewis vote on the original Waitui. I don’t believe you just knew. Somebody tipped you off, just like Harry did.”

“Um,” Perrie scrambles. 

“Yeah, I’ll take credit for that.” Louis raises his hand. “I gave her an idol and told her to play it, but she had to come through and write down Lewis. Then, I wrote her name down to act as if I knew nothing about it. She wouldn’t have even made the swap if it wasn’t for me.”

“Actually,” Perrie jumps in. “That was Zayn’s move, too. Why do you get to take the credit for it?”

Zayn rolls his eyes at Perrie. “Because it was his move. Besides, he’s sitting up there, not me.”

“Okay,” Jeff interrupts. “It seems like we’re kind of naturally moving into the outplay portion, so let’s keep that going. This is about the twists, advantages, anything you had to overcome.” 

“I have a question about that,” Julia jumps into the conversation. “Louis, do you still have a hidden immunity idol?” 

Louis nods, reaching into his bag. “I do,” he pulls it out, holding it up for everyone to see. 

“So you were able to find the idol but never need to play it.” Julia states.

“Correct.” 

“Okay,” Zayn says. “Maybe you could tell us about all of the idols and advantages you had?” 

“Sure,” Louis thinks back. “So the first idol I had was the one I found with Zayn, which we gave to Perrie. Then, when we swapped, I found another idol, which is this one, and kept it for myself. I also found the idol nullifier with Liam, which I eventually played against Zayn.”

“So you found the nullifier with Liam but then didn’t tell him when you were using it?” Karlie asks.

“Of course not. I couldn’t tell him I was using it to send Zayn home.” 

“Okay, what about you, Harry?” Zayn brings the conversation back.

“For me, it was less about having the advantages and more about knowing they existed. Obviously, I used my idol at the final five when Shawn went home, which, by the way, was another move I think I should explain. Louis and I were clearly on the bottom, but Louis won immunity, so we knew votes would be coming my way. But we also figured there might have been a new idol in play since Perrie had played hers at the last tribal council. So the two of us split the vote. As it turns out, Shawn was smart enough to throw a vote on Liam, so Liam would have gone home instead if he didn’t have that idol.”

“I’d like to point out, still talking about outplay,” Shawn jumps in. “At the swap, Louis wasn’t just in the minority. He was the only original Waitui with four original Vula. For him to have come out of two votes still in this game… That was a huge disadvantage. But he overcame it.”

“You bet I did!” Louis throws finger guns, causing everyone to laugh. 

“Speaking of Louis and original Waitui, and just outplaying in general,” Taylor says. “Perrie. What made you choose to bring Louis to the final three. I want you to explain this move. Why would you not have put Louis and Harry against each other, rather than face the potential, and now the reality, of sitting next to both of them, a couple?” 

“I took Louis because it was a loyalty thing. It comes back to being on the original Waitui together.”

“Okay…” Zayn squints at Perrie’s logic. “But so was I. Yet you went along with Louis’ plan to take me out.” 

“Yeah,” Perrie stammers. “But I didn’t think I could beat you in the end?”

Zayn scoffs. “But you think you can beat Louis?”

Perrie doesn’t answer.

The jury laughs. 

“Moving on,” Camila steers the conversation. “Winning immunity challenges is a big part of this game, too. That’s the only way to guarantee safety at tribal council. You each won at least once. Can you talk about those moments?”

“Yeah, I mean,” Perrie starts. “I won the last one. And that’s the most important one. If I hadn’t won, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“You don’t think you could have won a fire making challenge against any of the three guys?” Julia asks.

“Probably not.”

“That’s an interesting topic, actually. Harry and Louis, before you talk about your immunity challenge wins, I want to hear about how you think a firemaking challenge would have gone in the final four if it had been the two of you.”

“Well,” Harry says.

“Would you have beat Louis?” Zayn cuts in to ask directly.

Harry hesitates. “Yes.”

“Louis?”

Louis nods. “Harry would have beat me.”

“Interesting.” Camila notes. “Okay, back to immunity challenges, then. Tell us about your wins.”

“I’ll start,” Louis says, looking over at Harry. “I absolutely did not deserve the first one and I think you all know that. Harry would be lying if he said he wouldn’t have beat me. But in opposition to that, Perrie completely forgot about one of her own wins, and that’s probably because she made a deal with me and I stepped down.”

“So, before you go on, let me just clarify for everyone, that all three of you won two immunity challenges each.”

“That’s right,” Louis nods. “Wait no. I won three. But, my first win should have been Harry's. That being said, I take full pride in my second win at the final eight, and also at the final five. At final eight, when Taylor went home, Harry, Zayn, Liam and I knew we might be in trouble. One of us needed to win immunity, so that we could make the big show of having three immunity idols. When we needed a win, I pulled it off.” 

Louis speaks with conviction. He _is_ proud of himself.

“Then, at final five, anybody who participated in that challenge knows how emotional I was afterwards. I really put everything into it. Up and down that mountain ten times. After being out here for a month, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. But I did it. And I’m proud of myself for it.”

There are a few smiles on the jury at this sentiment.

“Okay, Harry. What about you?”

Harry puts his hands on his knees. “I’m going to be honest, I have been so insecure about this game before coming out here, and then even throughout. Finally winning an immunity made me realize that I could do it, and that I belong out here with the rest of you. When Louis put me through an intense three weeks of training before the game started, I found myself frustrated more often than not. Then, even out here, for a while, I was playing Louis’ game. I think it was that first win that made me realize I could play _my_ game, too.” 

Louis looks over at Harry, surprised. He had no idea he felt that way. Sure, he knew he was a little discouraged at times, but he never thought he wasn’t playing for himself.

_I hope I never made you feel like you were only here to play for me._

Louis wishes Harry could read his mind right now. 

“What about at the final six, when you got rid of me?” Niall cuts in.

Harry takes a breath. “Yeah, I think I needed that win to have the power to pull off that move. I needed you gone. I told Perrie the reason behind it was that you’re too likeable. I don’t know that anybody in that final six could have beat you in the end.”

Harry is saying all the right things. 

Liam raises his hand to inform everyone he wants to speak next. “For all of you, I want to know about the most subtle move you made to get here. We all saw the big, flashy, dirty work. But now, I want to know what you did that maybe wasn’t so obvious, that helped you get here.”

“For me,” Perrie gets right into her answer.

_Does she ever want to think about it first? Why does she always want to be the first to speak?_

“It was definitely working with Louis. We may not have always been on the same side, and at the merge, everyone knew I was angry with him. So for me to get over that and go back to work with him was definitely something not everyone knew was happening.”

“I’ll buy that.” Louis says, nodding at Perrie, and everyone laughs. “For myself, I think that finding a way to keep Harry around was subtle enough. The fact is, none of you ever managed to get rid of one of us. We always kept enough of you on our side. If I had lost Harry the same way most of you lost your partners rather early on, I wouldn’t be here.”

Harry smiles and looks down at the ground. When he finally looks back up, he has his game face on again. “For me, one of my most subtle moves was the Niall vote. What was subtle about it was that my inaction was a move in itself. I knew Perrie had an idol, but when we talked about piling the votes on her, I didn’t let anyone else in on this piece of information. I kept it for myself to have the power. I didn’t even tell Louis. I wanted it to be my move, and I wanted to make the call. I could have made it a flashy move. At that point, I still had an idol. I could have played it for Niall and then single handedly decided on somebody else to go home, screwing Perrie over, too. But I didn’t do that. I kept it subtle.”

Harry pauses to think, then continues. “Also, I think it was rather subtle coming into this game having gotten to know Zayn and Liam already. Louis was at a disadvantage for being the most recent player, and therefore not knowing anybody in the Survivor community very well, but when we met Zayn and Liam at the reunion of his season, we bonded quickly and then trained together before this season. We kept that friendship subtle, and it definitely helped to have numbers when we wouldn’t have come in knowing anybody otherwise.”

Everyone nods in agreement, knowing it’s a big deal to know people, especially as a returning player.

“Before we move on, I still think it’s so interesting that Harry and Louis both ended up at the end together. But it was Louis who played a near perfect game. He only had his name written down at one tribal council.” Luke vouches for Louis.

“That’s true, but how many did Harry have his name written down at?” Taylor counters. “It’s impressive to only be targeted once, Louis, it really is, so congrats for that. But is it more impressive to be targeted repeatedly but still somehow remain in control?”

“I agree with you, Taylor.” Louis replies honestly. “And to add to that, I think it’s good to know that Harry and I both knew who was going home at every tribal council.”

“But you didn’t know it was Niall.” Harry says quietly, then adds, louder, “you knew I was choosing who went home but you didn’t know who.”

“You’re right,” Louis realizes. “I just knew it wasn’t going to be Perrie, like I had originally intended.”

“And actually,” Harry adds. “You didn’t know it was Taylor, either. You didn’t know she threw the vote because you didn’t ask me.”

“But you didn’t tell me, either.” Louis retorts.

“Well, if you had read her the same way you read Zayn and knew he was playing his idol…”

This gets a reaction from the jury. Most of them have never seen Harry and Louis bicker. 

“Alright,” Jeff cuts in at a natural break in the conversation, probably also trying to fade out the tension growing between Harry and Louis. “Let’s get into the last phase. You all outlasted everyone on the jury, but only one of you will outlast the other two. This is your last chance to address the jury. Is there anything left unsaid? Perrie, you go first.”

“All I really have left to say is that I think I played a good game. Good enough that I deserve to be here, and I’m excited to be sitting up here with two other deserving people.”

“Harry?” 

“Yeah, I’ll echo that a little bit. I also think that I played a good game and that I’m deserving. More than anything, I’m proud of myself for even just making it this far. As the only new player sitting up here, I think that I had a slight disadvantage compared to the two people sitting next to me, but obviously I worked hard to be able to sit here, despite this being my first time playing. I think I kind of pulled off a little bit of everything. I built relationships, I had advantages, I won immunity, I won firemaking. I played the best game I possibly could have for the person that I am.”

“Louis?”

“You know, I came into this game looking for redemption. Which really does make me a hypocrite. Before coming out here, when Harry got nervous, I would tell him that this was meant to be fun. Sure, it would be hard. But in the end, it was a life experience that we’re lucky to get. But somewhere along the way, I wasn’t looking for redemption anymore. At the loved ones visit, I remember thinking to myself, _wow, I’m so glad I lost this reward in my first season because it makes this one that much better._ And I think that applies to this moment, too. Had I sat at the end last season and lost, it would have minimized the impact sitting here right now has. And you know, this season, I went to every single tribal council except the first one. I managed to make it through all the rest of those votes. Like everyone else, I came out here to win. But I’m also thankful for the time I got to spend with Harry and the rest of you. I hope you guys can appreciate the hard work I put in for the last thirty-nine days to get to where I am right now.”

“Well,” Liam comments. “I’m glad you all took away a feeling of pride. Because you should be proud.”

“Yeah,” Zayn agrees. “All of you are sitting there, which is something none of us could do.”

“You guys are making our decisions so difficult.” Niall comments. “Even though some of us came into this tribal council maybe already having an idea as to what we were gonna do, tonight, you all showed why each and every one of you deserves to be up there.”

The jury applauds, and Louis, Harry and Perrie share hugs. 

‘Well, there’s only one thing left to do.” Jeff says, once everyone is back in their seats. “And that is to declare a winner. That is in your hands, jury. I’m going to give you a moment, and then we will vote.”

After what feels like forever, Jeff tells them it’s time to close the season and make their decision. “Jury, it’s time to vote for a winner. Karlie, you’re up first.”

Harry takes Louis’ hand in his, and Louis takes Perrie’s hand with his free one. The three of them hold hands while each jury member goes to the voting area to cast their final vote. 

When the last person, Liam, comes back, Harry whispers, “it’s over.”

And he’s right.

It’s done. 

Jeff goes to get the urn. When he gets back, he stands at the podium. “Perrie, Louis, Harry, jury. I will see you back in Los Angeles for the reading of the votes.

Jeff makes his exit. 

Harry turns and gives Louis a quick kiss. 

_It’s over._


	7. after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boys go home !!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was gonna be the end... and then rachel said no.... haha just kidding !! but for real you're almost at the end !!!

Harry and Louis walk in the door of their apartment with their one bag each at an ungodly hour. Flights from Fiji are sparse, so the only thing that worked was an early flight back into Portland. It’s four in the morning, and Louis can’t imagine he’ll be awake long once he’s in his own bed.

“Our own beds,” Harry says out loud, dropping his bag in the middle of the living room and heading for the bathroom. 

Louis hears the sink start to run and knows Harry is washing up. He goes to his room to wait for his turn. After setting his bag down in the corner, he sits on the edge of his bed. He definitely missed his mattress. His body will be so grateful in the morning. 

“Back to real life…” Louis says to himself, standing up as he hears the faucet turn off. He walks out and heads for the bathroom. 

Harry had left the door open, so Louis leans on the doorframe. “Hey,” he says. “You tired, or what?’

Harry is just looking at himself in the mirror. Motionless.

“Yeah, yeah. Very.” He turns to exit the bathroom, pausing where Louis’ standing, despite the fact that he moves out of Harry’s way.

Louis has his back to the doorframe now.

“Goodnight, Lou.” Harry kisses Louis quickly. So short, Louis can’t even react. He doesn’t stop it, nor does he kiss him back. He just stands and gets kissed.

“Goodnight, Harry.” Louis says, still standing in shock as Harry walks to his own bedroom.

Louis cleans himself up quickly, examines himself in the mirror, just as Harry had done before him.

_I’ve done this before, yet I’m still surprised by the transformation._

Louis brushes his teeth and washes his face, then treads back to his own room. He shuts off his light as he enters, stumbling towards the bed. He flops down and pulls the covers up.

_Feels good._

Unfortunately, good isn’t good enough. Louis tosses and turns for what must be nearly an hour. Then, there’s a light knock on his door, and a soft voice to follow. “Lou?”

Harry slowly pushes the door open, looking in to see if Louis is awake. Louis turns to look at him to show that he is, in fact, awake.

“Can I sleep with you?” Harry asks in the dark.

Louis recalls back to Harry asking that exact question on the night of the merge. He remembers thinking, _what a ridiculous thing to ask_. Louis can still picture Harry’s trembling lip, nervous to even ask.

Louis remembers answering, “of course, babe. I’m right here.” So he does again.

As soon as Louis answers, Harry goes clambering over to the bed. Before Harry can even lie down, Louis remembers more. He remembers Harry kissing him for the second time and telling Louis he loves him. He remembers Harry thinking that must be the worst thing ever for Louis, when really, that’s all Louis wants. 

Harry crawls into bed with Louis, pulling the covers back up. “I don’t know how to sleep without you, anymore.”

_Feels good._

_Feels like home._

**

Louis wakes up, and realizes he fell asleep immediately after Harry got into bed with him. 

_That’s not going to be good._

He looks over to see Harry still sleeping, then looks at his clock. It’s already noon. Thankfully, neither of them have to go back to work for another week, so they have time to get back on a normal sleeping schedule. 

Louis carefully untangles his legs from Harry’s, then slowly eases himself out of bed. He pads out to the kitchen, then remembers they don’t have much food in the house. Anything they do have would be too heavy, and they wouldn’t be able to eat much. Louis just wanted to make breakfast (lunch?) for the two of them.

_Should I bother? Is that weird?_

Louis snaps out of it quickly because _of course he should._ This is still Harry. Harry, who cooked for him before. Harry, who made sure to leave out anything he knew Louis didn’t like. 

His best friend, Harry. 

So Louis quickly scribbles down a note and leaves it on the counter, in case Harry wakes up before he returns. He grabs his keys and his wallet, pulls on his shoes, and then quietly slips out the door. 

As he goes down the stairs of his apartment building, he realizes he hasn’t driven in nearly two months, again. That was something that definitely felt weird the first time around, and he can only imagine it’ll be the same again. Louis also realizes he forgot his phone, something else he hasn’t touched in nearly two months. 

He drives to the grocery store with the radio playing, unable to hum along to most of the songs, simply because he doesn’t know them. Louis pulls into a parking spot, hops out of the car and heads inside. At the door, he grabs a small basket. 

Louis heads for the fruit. That’s something he knows their bodies could handle. After, he grabs a loaf of bread, knowing they need to slowly reintroduce carbs as a regular and heavier part of their consumption than just a small spoonful of rice. Finally, he picks up some trail mix. Again, slowly back to protein. 

At the cash register, he hears his name. When he doesn’t respond, somebody asks, “yeah, are you Louis Tomlinson?”

Louis turns around to see a teenage girl talking to him. “Uh, yeah.”

“Wow,” she sighs dramatically. “I loved you on Survivor. Didn’t you just go back to play again?” 

“I did,” Louis laughs, moving forward in the line. “Just got home early this morning actually.”

Her eyes widen. “Where’s your boyfriend?” 

Louis doesn’t say anything.

“Um, Harry? Where’s he?”

“Oh!” _Get it together._ “Yeah! He’s at home. Still sleeping.”

“Well, would you mind if I got a photo with you?” 

“Sure,” Louis shrugs, putting his arm around the smaller girl.

She extends her arm, holds out her phone and snaps a picture. “Thank you so much,” she says. “I can’t wait to watch your new season.”

Louis nods, then turns around and proceeds to have his items checked out. He pays, then carries everything out to the car, putting it in the backseat.

**

Louis struggles with his key to get back inside the apartment with just one hand, but eventually the door swings open, and he finds Harry pacing in the living room.

“Harry?” He drops the grocery bags when he realizes something is _wrong._

He rushes over. “Harry, what’s wrong, babe? Are you okay?” 

Harry stops pacing. “Lou, I thought you left.”

Louis doesn’t say anything at first. He just wraps his arms around Harry and drags him over to the couch. Sitting down, he pulls Harry into his lap. “I left a note, babe. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

Louis already knew this, but adjusting back to normal life isn’t easy. He knows first hand the trust issues you come home with after playing Survivor. He also knows this is just the beginning for Harry. 

Harry keeps his head tucked into Louis’ chest. 

“Look at me, Harry.” Louis holds him close. “Harry,” he repeats. “Please look at me.”

Harry finally tilts his chin up. He’s not crying. Just so panicked. 

“This is going to be hard. You remember how hard it was for me the first time, yeah?”

Harry nods.

“But I’m here for you. Right here with you. I’m not gonna leave. Not now, not ever. Okay?”

Harry nods again. “I just thought you were mad because I kissed you last night but I’m sorry I just forgot it won’t happen again,” he spills out in all one breath.

_At least he’s being honest._

“It’s okay, Haz. It’s okay.”

_It won’t happen again._

**

Things are weird. So, so weird. It’s like they don’t know how to act around each other anymore. Louis will sit down on the couch next to Harry, and Harry will go to put his arm around Louis like usual, but then stop himself and move in the other direction. Harry will grab a beer out of the fridge, and Louis will go to take a sip, but then grab his own instead, despite knowing he won’t finish it himself. 

Despite all the weirdness, Harry still sleeps in Louis’ bed every night. Or maybe that’s the weirdest part. Louis can’t be sure. 

But Louis decides that he needs to move on. The reality is that he’s back to having best friend Harry, no longer boyfriend Harry. So the night before he goes back to work, Louis tells Harry that no, he can’t sleep in his bed tonight.

This turns out to be a mistake. Neither of them get any sleep, and Louis hates seeing Harry so miserable in the morning, but Louis pretends as though he slept just fine. 

**

It’s that in-between time at the restaurant just after the lunch rush where it’s quiet before the dinner rush. During this time, Louis normally does some cleaning and makes sure everything is ready for the evening. Today, his phone buzzes in his pocket. 

Louis steps out to the back of the building.

“Harry?” He says into the phone.

“Louis,” Harry sounds upset on the other end of the line. 

_Oh, no._

“I can’t do this yet.”

“Okay. It’s okay. I’ll come pick you up, yeah? You can come sit in the restaurant.” 

Louis knew when he left earlier that Harry wasn’t going to handle it well. Being alone takes adjusting, too. For the last month and a half, they were surrounded by the same people. Every move of theirs was filmed. Now, being alone doesn’t feel normal or right.

Louis knew all of this. But he still went to work today, and left Harry at home.

_I’m a terrible person._

“And you’ll be there the whole time?” Harry asks, still on the line.

“I’ll be there the whole time, babe. Promise.”

**

They drive home in silence.

They eat dinner in silence.

They watch the news in silence.

They get ready for bed in silence.

As Harry turns to trudge into his own room for the night, Louis grabs his wrist, stopping him. Louis yanks hard enough to turn him around and pull him close, but softly enough that it won’t hurt. Harry is caught by surprise, but instantly lets himself be hugged by Louis.

“Come on,” Louis whispers, arms thrown over Harry’s shoulders. “Sleep in my bed, tonight.”

**

Harry finally seems to be readjusted. He’s gotten back into his photography, can handle being alone, and can put a surface level of trust into strangers. 

Harry’s relationship with Louis, however, has not readjusted. 

“Harry,” Louis yells, as things reach a boiling point one evening after getting home from their first dinner out since coming home. “A month ago, you were fine with kissing me in Fiji but now you wouldn’t try a cocktail because I took a sip, first?”

Louis picks his battles wisely. This is a small thing. But he’s had enough. It’s more than just this. Everything adds up.

“I don’t know how to be with you anymore, Louis!” Harry yells right back.

_Oh._

Louis doesn’t have anything to say to that. He hadn’t considered it was going to get so bad that he may lose his friendship with Harry. Someone he thought he could go through anything with. Make it through anything with. Together. 

Louis keeps quiet and turns to walk towards his room.

“Lou, I didn’t,” Harry says from behind him. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Louis closes his door.

Harry doesn’t follow him.

**

But Louis still wakes up with Harry in his bed.

And he’s relieved.

**

“Hey, so, uh,” Louis says as he sits on the couch next to Harry after dinner. “I’m going on a date this weekend.”

_It’s time to move on. It’s been two months now._

“Oh, really,” Harry replies, uninterested. He doesn’t even look away from the television.

“Yeah, it’s with a regular from the restaurant.”

This catches Harry’s attention. “Wait, you’re being serious?” He turns to face Louis, looking right at him now. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Louis asks nervously. He doesn’t feel guilty. He really doesn’t. He just feels dejected. He didn’t know how much it would hurt to not be with Harry.

“I don’t know,” Harry says in a drawl, before bombarding Louis with questions. “How did it come up? Where are you going? Which night did you say again?” 

“Uh,” Louis runs a hand through his hair quickly. “He just asked for my number and said we should get drinks sometime. I agreed. So on Friday night, we’re going to some new bar downtown.” 

“Oh,” Harry replies casually, before turning his body back towards the television. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

Louis can’t say he agrees.

**

_This is stupid. Why am I trying to go on a date the weekend before the premiere?_

Louis steps out of the shower and dries off. After wrapping a towel around his waist, he goes back to his room to get dressed. He decides what to wear rather quickly. He brushes his hair and then heads out into the living room.

“Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” Harry asks, no judgement in his voice. Just sheer curiosity.

“Yeah,” Louis shrugs. 

He didn’t try very hard. He couldn’t be bothered to wear jeans.

“Well, I think you look great.” Harry smiles genuinely. “Is he picking you up? Are you picking him up?”

Louis shakes his head as he grabs a cup to have a glass of water. “We’re just meeting there.”

Harry crowds in towards Louis by the sink, nodding slowly. “Why don’t you sound more excited? This is your first real date since Spencer.” 

_The merge feast was quite romantic._

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t know.”

Harry doesn’t move until he makes Louis smile. It doesn’t take long. 

As Louis is heading for the door, Harry walks with him. He tells Louis that he’ll lock up behind him. Louis says goodnight and then leaves. But as he turns back around to see if Harry has shut the door, he sees Harry still watching him from the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. Louis’ glance catches Harry off guard, so he brings a hand up to wave. Louis returns the wave, then turns around and doesn’t look back again. 

**

“Hey, Louis,” Nick stands up to greet him with an awkward hug. 

Louis just lets it happen.

“How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. How are you?” Louis returns the question as they sit down at the booth Nick had saved for them. 

“I’m doing alright, thanks.”

They take a look at the drink menu and make small talk until the waitress comes over. 

“Are you okay?” Nick asks after she walks away. “You seem distracted.” 

“No, no…”

As if on cue, a girl approaches their table. “You’re Louis Tomlinson,” she points at him. “But that’s not Harry Styles.” She points at Nick without glancing in his direction. “Did you guys break up?”

Thankfully, Nick remains quiet.

“No, no, it’s not like that,” Louis says, explaining himself to the girl. 

He knew this was a bad idea. The premiere episode is on in five days. He couldn’t have waited a little longer to try to get over Harry? 

The girl looks at him disbelievingly. “Okay…” 

“Thanks for checking in though!” Louis says sarcastically as she walks away. When he turns to look back at Nick, his eyes are trained on the table.

“So it is what I thought. There’s someone else.”

“What? No. I just. I competed on the show Survivor,” Louis explains quickly. “Then they wanted me to play again but with my boyfriend. Only, I didn’t have a boyfriend. So I faked it with my best friend slash roommate.”

Nick nods along as Louis speaks. 

_Why am I trying to save this?_

“Well, do you love him?”

“What?”

“Your fake boyfriend slash best friend slash roommate. Do you love him?” 

Louis just looks at Nick.

“Because listen, Louis. I get it. I’ve been there. I think that if somebody’s the one for you and you know that, you gotta take a chance on it.”

Louis looks down and nods. 

“So, you should go get him.”

And Louis didn’t need Nick’s permission. But those words seem to be what push him over the edge. Just like that, Louis is on his feet. 

“You’re the best date I’ve ever been on!” He calls out, rushing towards the door. “Sorry that I’ve definitely been the worst!”

**

_What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I DOING?_

Louis thinks those words the whole drive back to his apartment. Yet, he still finds himself taking the stairs two at a time until he reaches his floor. He pulls his keys out of his pocket as he approaches the door, holding the right one out to get it on the first try. 

He barges in, startling Harry on the couch. He turns around and asks, “Lou?” Then, he jumps up and turns around. “It’s so early. That bad, huh? Come sit and tell me everything. I wanna know what happened.”

Louis just stands in the doorway. “Shut up.” He closes the door abruptly and crosses the room, not stopping until his mouth is attached to Harry’s and his hands are on either of his cheeks. 

Harry lets out a surprised sound, but then kisses Louis back immediately. His hands wrap around Louis’ waist familiarly, in a touch Louis has missed and craved for the last two months. 

Suddenly, Harry pulls back, and when Louis chases forward again, Harry just leans back slightly and asks, “Louis, are you drunk right now?”

Louis laughs. “I didn’t even have one drink before I ran out of there.”

That seems to be all Harry needed to hear, because his mouth is pressing against Louis’ again. Slower and gentler, but with all the heat still between them. When Harry pulls away, he smiles at Louis.

“I guess we’re finally gonna have to talk about this, huh?” 

**

Louis takes Harry’s hand and pulls him to sit on the couch. Once they’re both seated, Louis brings his feet up to sit cross legged, so his body can face Harry. 

He twiddles with his hands in his lap, looking at them.

_Where do I start?_

“So,” they both say at the same time.

“You go first,” Louis offers. 

“No, you,” Harry counters, and Louis nods. 

“Okay,” he swallows hard. “I just. I thought I could handle this. But then I blurred the line between the fantasy I built up in my head and the reality I would be coming home to. God, the premiere is on Wednesday. I don’t know how they’re going to edit the show, but I might as well tell you. I say some things in my confessionals, and all of it was true.” 

Harry interrupts nervously. “What are you saying, Louis?” He drags his words out.

Louis finds a newfound surge of confidence. “I’m saying,” he says loudly. “I’m saying that I want us to be together for real. I’m saying,” Louis pauses, unsure if he should continue.

He does, anyways. “I’m saying that I love you, for real.” He finishes, words coming out softer, almost hoping Harry doesn’t hear. 

“Louis,” Harry huffs out a breath, and Louis looks down. He hates being rejected. Harry takes Louis’ hands out of his lap, holding them in his own, forcing Louis to look up before he continues. “I love you for real, too.”

Louis almost can’t believe it.

“And I always have, I think.” 

“Harry,” Louis leans closer. “Can I kiss you, for real?” 

Harry laughs, but leans forward anyways. “I think you just did a few minutes ago.”

“Mm,” Louis hums against Harry’s lips, then pulls away just long enough to say, “I think I always have been.”

**

“Louis, we gotta go!” Harry calls from the living room.

Louis takes one last look at himself in the mirror, then spins on his heel to head out. They’re driving out to Liam and Zayn’s place, where they’re doubling a housewarming party and the premiere night watch party. 

“I hope you’re not this uptight the whole drive there,” Louis says as he approaches Harry, quickly kissing him on the cheek, then going to grab his wallet and his keys.

“Ha ha,” Harry retorts sarcastically.

Louis is already putting his shoes on, as Harry stands in the living room being mock offended. “Come on now, babe. We gotta go.” 

**

“Okay. Should we pick up flowers? Or alcohol?” Louis asks from the driver's seat, once they cross the state line into Seattle. 

“How about both?” Harry shrugs.

Louis just casually looks over at Harry beside him.

“What? We’re gonna be a lot richer soon. We can afford flowers AND a bottle of wine I’m sure.”

“You don’t know that.” Louis replies simply, eyes trained on the road.

“Oh, yeah. You’re right. Perrie’s about to be a lot richer. But I cut a deal with her.”

Louis’ head snaps over this time. “What?” 

“Lou, I’m kidding.” Harry assures him. “But seriously. Let’s just stop at a grocery store and get both.”

Louis pulls into the parking lot of the next grocery store. He parks the car and the two hop out together.

“Okay. It’s three thirty. We have half an hour before we’re supposed to be there.” Louis checks his phone as they hurry inside.

“And you called me uptight,” Harry laughs. “I’m sure nobody will mind if we’re a few minutes late.”

**

And they don’t. 

Harry and Louis are the last to arrive, but nobody complains. They sit around the table for dinner and use the wine the boys bought to make a toast.

“Thank you all for coming,” Zayn says. “It’s impressive to even get half the cast out here. I know the others live further away, but we really appreciate you guys making the journey to come over.” 

“Zayn and I are so excited to have gotten this house and we’re glad to be able to show it off to our new friends.” Liam adds, raising his glass.

“We’re also excited to be getting together for the premiere, so we’re also here for Harry and Louis. And since Perrie isn’t here tonight…” 

Liam can’t seem to contain his excitement. “We wanted to tell you that one of you wins.” 

Zayn looks over at Liam, probably frustrated he couldn’t keep it in any longer, but also unable to hide the fond. 

“We don’t know which one of you. We didn’t discuss exactly who we voted for, just that none of us voted for Perrie. Which means it will be one of you.”

Harry and Louis look at each other, sharing a small smile. Louis rests his hand on Harry’s thigh, who happily finds that hand with his own. 

“We could talk about it now, if you want? Obviously we’re missing Camila and Luke, but…”

Louis shakes his head, still looking at Harry.

Harry agrees. “That’s okay,” he turns to Liam. “It’s not that important.”

“Well, I guess it’s only another two months anyways!” Liam laughs. “Also, speaking of Camila…” He looks over at Shawn. “Where is she?”

Shawn instantly turns red. “Well, actually, I don’t think she’ll be at the reunion, either.”

Julia lets out a small snort from across the table.

Louis locks eyes with Zayn. They _know_.

“Shawn and I are together, actually.” Niall steps in to help Shawn, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

There’s a reaction of surprise and congratulations and simultaneous confusion around the table.

Once everyone settles down, Taylor asks, “how did you react to that initially, Julia?”

Niall smiles immediately at Julia.

“I was obviously a little surprised. But above all, Niall has always been my best friend. So I support him no matter what. And I’m so glad Shawn makes him happy.”

_What a great friend._

“That must have been so relieving for you, Niall.” Karlie comments.

“Absolutely. Julia is great and I’m so happy she chose to stay in my life.”

“So I take it Camila wasn’t quite as cool about it as her, then?” 

“No,” Shawn laughs. “Not even close.”

Everyone laughs. 

Shawn leans over and kisses Niall quickly amidst the noise.

“Okay, okay, let’s eat so we have time to show you around before the show!” 

**

At some point during the house tour, Harry and Louis break off from the group. Harry takes Louis’ hand and they walk aimlessly in silence. When they come across a spare room, Louis walks inside, letting go of Harry’s hand, who stays in the doorway. Harry breaks the silence.

“So, what would you think about a house like this, someday?”

Louis turns his head quickly to see Harry grinning at him. He steps closer. “I don’t know, babe. I kind of just pictured us in our tiny little apartment forever.”

Harry’s face drops.

“I’m kidding.”

“So, you would want to buy a house together?”

“Harry,” Louis gets even closer. “I would live anywhere with you.” 

Harry smiles down at him. “I love you, Louis.”

“And I love you.” 

**

“You know, if Harry and I were at home, he would have made some sort of rice meal for dinner tonight.” Louis laughs as they all gather in the living room.

“How come?” Taylor questions.

“It was his thing when we watched my first season. Just became a tradition.” 

“Aw, that’s so cute!” Taylor coos.

“Yeah,” Louis leans into Harry. “It was.” 

**

“And he’s been my home ever since.” Louis says on the TV. 

Everyone glances over at him as they listen to his day three conversation with Niall. 

“When did you guys realize it was love, anyways?” Niall asks on the beach.

Louis leans in to whisper in Harry’s ear. “Right in that moment.”

Harry leans back to look at Louis. “That early?” 

“Mmhmm,” Louis nods, keeping his lips pressed together. 

Harry leans forward for a chaste kiss. “Look at how much has changed, huh?”

“What’s changed?” Zayn overhears and asks. 

“Uh,” Louis looks to Harry, who shrugs. “Well, whatever,” Louis sighs. “It’s over now, anyways.”

Everyone looks to Louis, waiting for him to divulge.

“Harry and I weren’t actually together during the show.”

There’s a silence. A long silence. Then, a collective outburst of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Harry asks cautiously.

Julia stops laughing long enough to answer. “Oh honey,” she looks at Louis. “We all knew that.”

Harry and Louis look at each other, panic stricken. 

“But we also knew,” Niall adds. “That you two fools loved each other.”

The episode cuts to a commercial, so now all the focus is directed to Harry and Louis in the moment. 

“How-” Harry stammers. “How did you know?”

“Know what? That you weren’t dating, or that you loved each other, anyways?” Julia is still laughing. 

“Both,” Louis answers quickly. 

“Well,” Shawn jumps in. “Your stories didn’t quite match up. I can’t even remember the details, they were so minor. But something just didn’t sit right.”

“But,” Niall adds. “Obviously even in that last conversation, you can tell how much Louis loves you.” He says, speaking directly to Harry.

“What about me?” Louis asks quietly. “How did you know Harry loved me?”

“The way he looked at you.” Zayn answers.

Louis turns his head to look between Zayn and Liam. 

“You guys, too?”

Liam tries to stifle a laugh. “We never saw you guys kiss until the merge. When we came and trained with you, it was clear you were sleeping in two different rooms. You guys are terrible, terrible liars.”

Louis can’t help but laugh now. 

“We were all just waiting,” Zayn says. “Hoping,” he corrects himself. “That you guys would figure it out on your own.”

“So, how long did it take?” Taylor asks.

Harry shrugs casually. “Until last week.”

This creates a spur of shocked reactions.

“That long?” 

“Yeah, things were kind of rough for a while,” Louis looks down at the floor, then looks back up when he feels Harry’s strong hand on his thigh.

“We just didn’t know how to be around each other. It felt like our relationship had changed, but we hadn’t talked about it.” Harry explains, saving a clearly uncomfortable Louis.

“Well, how did it finally happen?”

“Louis went on a date, then came home early and kissed me.”

“Okay, shh! It’s back on.” Louis interrupts, and that’s the end of the conversation.

**

“Wow, watching the Lewis vote and everything that went down makes so much sense. You guys really played us,” Niall laughs. 

Harry nudges Louis’ hip. “Yeah, that was really impressive,” he says, just loud enough for Louis to hear. 

The group chats about the episode and discusses future options for get-togethers. They settle on playing charades for the rest of the night, cracking open a second bottle of wine. 

Harry sits in Louis’ lap with Louis’ arms wrapped around his stomach. Every so often, Louis will tuck his face into the side of Harry’s neck and press a soft kiss into his skin. Harry will always lean into the touch, then lean back closer to Louis. 

When everyone starts getting up to leave, they all thank Zayn and Liam with hugs and walk out the door one after the other. Once they’re outside, Harry yawns loudly. 

“I’m tired, Lou.”

“I know, babe.” Louis takes his hand. “I’ll drive.”

**

They get home late and crawl into bed together. 

“You got someone to cover for you tomorrow at school, right?” Harry asks with his eyes closed once they’re settled under the covers.

“Mmhmm,” Louis runs his fingers through Harry’s hair gently.

“Good,” Harry sighs as Louis continues to scratch lightly at his head. “We’re going house hunting.”

**

“Surprise?” Harry says when they pull up to the first house they’re looking at, and Gemma and Lottie are standing at the front door. 

And Louis is definitely surprised. 

They get out of the car and greet the girls with hugs and kisses on cheeks.

“Alright, wanna tell us what we’re doing here, H?” Gemma asks.

“Well, Lou and I are wanting to buy a house,” he answers, wrapping an arm around Louis and kissing his temple quickly. 

Gemma and Lottie exchange a look.

“So…” Lottie drags out.

“You’re together?” Gemma finishes for her, a huge smile spread across her face. 

The boys nod. 

This leads to congratulations and more hugs, and ‘we knew you would figure it out’. 

“I told you, Louis.” Gemma whispers in his ear as she hugs him. “I’m glad you believed in him.”

She pulls away and the four of them walk inside together. The girls babble excitedly about being future sister in-laws, and the boys follow behind them with eye rolls that aren’t serious.

_They’re not wrong._

_I’m gonna marry him someday._

**

“Aw, baby,” Louis pinches Harry’s cheek. “I forgot you talked about that.”

Harry tries to squirm out of Louis’ touch, clearly embarrassed by his display of emotions on screen, at the double tribal council of the swapped tribes.

“It had been like two weeks. And I was just remembering being home with you and how hard it was and I got scared that maybe it would happen again and what if I struggled too and…” Harry speaks in all one breath, as if he isn’t able to hold the words inside any longer. 

“Hey,” Louis kisses the concern right out of Harry’s mouth. “It’s okay. We did it together.”

**

“Guess what?” Harry whispers into Louis’ ear after finishing his rice and setting the empty plate on the coffee table beside him.

“What?” Louis answers, turning his head to look at Harry up close.

“We’re about to kiss for the first time.” Harry looks back at the screen.

Louis is standing with Jeff, announcing that the tribes are merged. He remembers what happens next in vivid detail; he doesn’t need a recording of it to remember. (But having it available to watch whenever he wants is nice). 

The boys watch in silence as past versions of themselves embrace. The camera cuts away for a moment, but when it cuts back to them, their lips are locked like they’re searching for oxygen. 

They look at each other and smile, then turn their attention back to the screen. They watch the merge feast, and everyone having a little too much to drink. Camila has a confessional during which she gushes over the way that Harry fed Louis bread so naturally. 

They all go to bed. Harry and Louis find the last remaining space. In the dark, the camera catches their wine drunken kisses. The audio mic also picks up, “I love you, Lou.” It cuts to a commercial break before the words Harry says after those. 

“It wasn’t.” Louis says, bringing himself back to that moment in the shelter.

“It wasn’t what?” Harry asks, cheeks reddened, probably having forgotten he ever said those words during the show.

“The worst thing I ever heard.” Louis turns to look at Harry. “I love you, Harry.” 

**

“Louis…”

Louis can’t even bring himself to look at Harry. He’s so embarrassed.

“Louis.” 

He turns to look at Harry, though he really doesn’t want to.

“Were you being serious? You want to have kids together someday?”

“I mean,” Louis sighs. “I was, yeah. I just. Even then, I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else. I figured that if I was gonna have kids someday, it would be with you.”

Harry brings a hand to his chest. “Louis, that is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. I’m so glad you feel that way. I think we would make great parents together.”

Louis covers his face with his hands.

“Hey,” Harry laughs, prying Louis’ hands away in order to look at him. “I’m not saying tomorrow. But someday, further down the line, it would definitely be nice.”

“Wouldn’t it?” Louis whispers.

**

“I can’t believe next week we’ll be in LA again,” Harry says, as they watch Zayn make his graceful exit on the screen.

“I can’t believe one of us is gonna be a millionaire…” Louis replies, clearing their dinner and dessert plates from the living room.

Louis starts to rinse the plates in the sink when Harry wraps his arms around his waist from behind. 

“I can’t believe this time around I’m actually dating you,” Harry kisses his back.

Louis is ready for next week. Nervous, but ready.

_I can’t wait to spend forever with you._

But then Louis remembers he can actually say that, he can tell Harry these things that pop into his mind now. So he turns around and lets himself be boxed in by Harry.

“I can’t wait to spend forever with you.” 


	8. the reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> very short. just cute stuff.

Jeff calls Shawn out to the stage as the finale episode reaches the halfway point. Louis can hear the live studio audience cheering from where he’s still sitting backstage with Harry, Liam, and Perrie.

“See you guys out there,” Shawn waves, then jogs out as the cheers get louder. 

“It’s so nice to get to be backstage with you this time,” Harry leans in closer to Louis’ side, offering him a sip of the cocktail in his hand. 

Louis takes the straw between his lips, sips quickly, then leans in to kiss Harry immediately afterwards. 

“You guys are gross,” Perrie teases, pretending to be disgusted.

The three of them wait anxiously as the final immunity challenge plays out on the screen. After the firemaking challenge, Liam gets up to join the rest of the jury onstage, anticipating when Jeff calls for him. 

“Well, one of you is about to be announced as the winner. Congrats.”

Jeff calls out for Louis, Harry, and Perrie to file in on stage as the final three. “Here they are, your finalists for this season of Survivor.” 

Perrie walks out first, with Harry and Louis following behind, hand in hand. The crowd erupts, and Louis recalls this feeling from his last season. But this time, he’s not searching the crowd for Harry. He’s got his boy right beside him. But Lottie and Gemma are there, sitting together in the front row, screaming louder than everyone else. 

_This is all I need._

After a commercial break, the final tribal council is played on screen for everyone in attendance. There are audible reactions at times, and murmurs in the crowd suggest people are still unsure as to who wins.

“Alright, usually the kids in our audience have proven to be following along closely. So we’re going to get some opinions,” Jeff announces during the final commercial break before the votes are read on live television and somebody is crowned Sole Survivor. 

Jeff walks into the crowd with a few pieces of parchment and a pen and offers them up to eight excited kids. After making his way back to the stage, he asks, “should we read the official votes first, or find out who our young watchers think is going to win?” 

He decides to let the kids unfold their parchment first. “You’re going to reveal on the count of three,” Jeff instructs. 

He counts.

The kids reveal.

The camera cuts to each vote.

“Wow,” Jeff says. “We’ve got four of them saying Harry wins, and four of them saying Louis wins.” 

Harry squeezes Louis’ hand. They know these opinions don’t actually count, and it’s all just perspective and editing. But it’s still crazy to know that one of them is about to win.

“Alright, for the last time this season, I’ll read the votes.”

Louis can feel _something_ building up inside him. Nerves? Excitement? Hope? He can’t be sure.

“First vote,” Jeff pulls him out of his thoughts. “Harry.”

The audience cheers.

“Louis.”

More cheers.

“Harry.”

“Louis. We’re tied.”

“Harry.”

“Louis. Tied again.”

The audience is living for the suspense.

“Louis.”

“Harry. We’re tied at four”

One vote left. 

“The winner of Survivor,” Jeff opens the final parchment. “Harry.”

 _Pride._

That’s what Louis was feeling.

The whole room is on their feet. The jury, applauding behind them. The audience, strangers who don’t know them, clapping for the accomplishment. The finalists, sharing hugs and congratulations. Louis, who wraps Harry tight in his arms and whispers, “I told you, baby.”

Harry looks at him in confusion over the noise.

“Before we even left. In the restaurant. I told you that when you made it to the end, you would win. I just knew you could do it.”

Harry nods, seeming to remember the conversation. He takes Louis’ face in his hands and kisses him hard. “I love you so much.”

Louis simply takes Harry’s hand and drags him into the audience to celebrate with the girls. 

Jeff talks to the camera as they cut to a commercial in order to give everyone time to settle before having an open discussion on stage. 

Their sisters express how proud they are of both of them and take turns wrapping them both in hugs. Louis thinks they’re still more excited by the prospect of them being related someday than the current reality of the money they’ve just come into. 

Louis’ mind flashes to the ring sitting in their apartment. Hidden away, waiting for them to get home.

Everyone finishes up as the commercial break comes to an end, and Harry and Louis head back to the stage. All the other cast members gather around to congratulate Harry, and then take their seat on the bleachers. 

“So,” Jeff gets them started again. “Before we do anything else, with such a close vote, let’s show who voted for either of you.” 

Everyone turns to the screen and they watch a montage of final confessionals with the winning votes cast. Karlie, Luke, Camila and Zayn all voted for Louis, whereas Julia, Taylor, Niall, Shawn and Liam all voted for Harry. 

“Wow,” Jeff comments. “Three different couples at the time,” Jeff motions to Shawn and Niall. “Disagreed with their partner. Zayn and Liam, do you guys wanna share what that was like?” 

Zayn shrugs. “We actually didn’t discuss it.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Liam replies. “We didn’t want to find ourselves in a situation where we knew we disagreed and then fought about it. So I actually didn’t even know who he voted for until right now.”

“That’s incredible,” Jeff says, and judging by the audience’s reaction, they seem to agree.

Louis turns to Zayn and shoots him a smile that is returned immediately.

“I also think we need to just clear the air and bring up the glaring elephant in the room,” Jeff looks to the audience briefly. “Obviously, Camila isn’t here.” 

Shawn nods promptly. “She’s a little upset. Or maybe upset isn’t the right word. I’m not too sure, really.”

“Because you and Niall are a couple now?”

The audience whoops at the unexpected news. 

“Exactly. She didn’t take it too well. Meanwhile, Julia over there,” Shawn laughs. “She’s been our biggest supporter. The three of us actually live together now.”

More cheers from the audience.

“Good for you guys,” Jeff says, moving on quickly. They only have so much time on air.

“Alright, if we’re doing couple updates, let’s talk to our winner and runner-up. Louis, is this loss against Harry going to change your relationship at all?”

“Absolutely not,” Louis replies steadfastly, placing a fist on Harry’s knee. “I had full faith in Harry and I’m neither surprised nor disappointed by the outcome of this season.” 

A collection of ‘awe’ can be heard in the studio.

“So how has your relationship changed since getting home?”

Harry looks at Louis and smiles shyly. “The game definitely brought us closer together,” Harry answers honestly. 

There are some evident smirks from a few of the cast members. 

“And we do have some news, actually,” Harry adds. “We just signed the paperwork on a new house.” 

The crowd cheers.

“Congratulations to you both,” Jeff smiles at them. “I’m sure your prize will help with that.”

“Yes,” Harry laughs, before starting to ramble. “It definitely will. The house, a car, a vacation sometime, college money for our future kids...” 

_Our wedding…_

“That’s a long list. Any objections or additions, Louis?”

Louis refocuses in order to lie. “None that I can think of.” 

**

“Home, sweet home!” Harry yells into their new house once all the boxes are inside. 

Louis laughs and Harry kisses it right out of his mouth. 

“Okay, how about we go out for dinner and then come home and start dealing with all of this?” Harry asks, draping his arms around Louis’ neck. 

“Mm,” Louis hums. “Like a date night.”

Harry grins. “I guess so.” 

They get dressed and go out, then get back to their new place before eleven. 

“Do you know where the speaker is? We should play some music while we put stuff away.” 

Louis searches for the electronics box. He comes back to find Harry already starting in the kitchen. When Harry hears him approaching, he turns around.

“You know,” he says. “I think we should paint this room yellow.” 

“Yellow?” Louis repeats, eyebrow cocked. 

“Yeah, yellow. It’s a happy colour. Like daylight.” 

Louis shakes his head fondly, then presses play on his phone. The speaker on the counter starts up, loud enough for them to have fun, but not so loud as to annoy the neighbours. 

A few songs later, Harry has abandoned what he was working on altogether and is solely focused on dancing around the kitchen.

“Come on, Lou,” he reaches for Louis’ hand, determined to get him to stop working, too, apparently. 

Louis lets himself be pulled in by Harry, who dances freely and encourages Louis to do the same. With Harry holding his hands, Louis gives in quickly and starts moving to the music along with him, laughing the whole time.

Harry steps closer and stops singing in order to kiss Louis. He keeps laughing, though. As if he wants Louis to taste the laughter in his own mouth. And that makes Louis laugh, too. They stand in the kitchen giggling into each other’s mouths and stopping only for dance breaks, before finding something funny and laughing while they kiss all over again.

Louis only stops laughing when his shuffled music changes to something slower, sadder, but in a beautiful way _._

Louis spins on his heel to face the other direction. He’s feeling it. Not what he planned, but this moment is one that he knows he’ll remember.

_“If I don’t get better than this man in my skin”_

“Louis?” Harry reaches out, gently wrapping his hand around Louis’ wrist. “Are you okay?”

_“If I let go, would you hold on? Would we fly?”_

Louis turns back around to face Harry, feeling nervous.

_“Is it safer if we just say that we tried?”_

“Louis?” Harry repeats. 

_“Are we laughing at the danger?”_

Louis decides that he can do this. It’s a little dangerous. But is it really? Does he have any reason to be even a little bit worried? He knows this is it for both of them. Harry said it himself in Fiji; there’s nothing like this. 

Harry seems to be able to tell that Louis is thinking hard about something, and his face shows it. 

“Just, don’t move.” Louis turns around again and speeds into their new bedroom, where he knows he tucked away a small box for safekeeping. He finds it then returns to find Harry exactly where he left him in the kitchen.

Louis takes a deep breath and reaches into his pocket for the box he’s been holding onto for the last month, just waiting for the perfect moment.

This feels like it. 

Harry’s hands immediately fly up to cover his mouth as tears well up in his eyes.

“Louis…”

“Harry.” Louis kneels in the middle of their bare kitchen. “I know this might seem fast since we started dating. But I’ve known you long enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I don’t want to waste any more time. I remember the day I lied to Jeff Probst about having a boyfriend and feeling immediate guilt and regret when I got off the phone, knowing I dragged you into another mess of mine,”

Harry lets out a laugh, but remains silent otherwise.

“But it turned into our mess. And I’m thankful everyday for that because who knows how long it would have taken me without that experience to realize that I am so in love with you.” 

Louis starts to get emotional, watching Harry’s tears stream down his cheeks. 

“Harry,” Louis pauses. “Will you marry me?”

Harry removes his hands from his face, keeping his lips pressed firmly together as he nods. When he finally finds his voice again, he lets out an emphatic, “yes!”

Louis gets up from the ground and throws his arms around Harry’s neck. Harry pulls him in close by the waist, arching Louis’ back as they kiss. 

_“Are we dancing after death, you and I?”_

“Okay,” Louis pulls away and wipes quickly at his eyes. “Put the ring on, babe.”

Harry takes the ring from the box and slides it on his wedding ring finger. “It’s beautiful.”

“I hope so. Your sister helped me pick it out.”

“Gemma knew?”

Louis nods. 

“Well, we’ll have to call her and share our news.”

“It’s already almost midnight, babe.” Louis smiles at his fiancé. “Tomorrow.”

Louis can’t wait to spend every tomorrow he has with Harry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for making it this far !!!! please feel free to comment on anything !!! plot, writing style, questions, anything !!! love u all xoxo
> 
> ahh and if you enjoyed, please leave kudos and reblog the fic post [here](https://lt2soon.tumblr.com/post/622468087960223744/one-sole-will-survive-louis-immediately-goes-into) :)


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